Sea-Tac hit by FAA flight cuts during government shutdown
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The view from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport central terminal last year. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
Flights at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will be cut in the coming days amid air traffic controller shortages linked to the longest-ever government shutdown, airport officials confirmed Thursday.
The big picture: The Federal Aviation Administration has announced it will forcibly reduce the number of flights by 10% at 40 major U.S. airports, including Sea-Tac, Seattle port commissioner Sam Cho wrote in a statement Thursday.
- The unusual measure comes as air traffic controllers go unpaid and staffing shortages plague FAA facilities nationwide, triggering slowdowns at airports coast to coast.
What they're saying: "The current plan is not to reduce flights by 10% immediately, but to ramp up in the coming days to allow time for airlines to adapt," Cho wrote on Instagram Thursday, speaking to plans at Sea-Tac.
- International flights out of Sea-Tac won't be affected, wrote Cho, whose job includes helping oversee the airport (which is run by the port).
- The changes will begin Friday, the airport posted in a statement on X.
State of play: A 10% reduction translates to dozens of flights at the country's busiest airports, per data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, affecting thousands of travelers daily at each airport.
- Cuts at major airports could also affect travelers elsewhere, depending on how they're implemented.
- Air traffic controllers' second $0 paycheck in a row arrives next week; they've been working without pay since Oct. 1.
- "Controllers are resigning every day now because of the prolonged nature of the shutdown," Nick Daniels, president of controller union NATCA, told CNN Thursday.
What they're saying: At a Wednesday press conference, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA administrator Bryan Bedford framed the cuts as a way to preserve safety while still launching as many flights as possible.
- "We're not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating," Bedford said.
What's next: More cuts could follow if the FAA deems them necessary, potentially affecting Thanksgiving travel later this month.
- "If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures, we'll come back and take additional measures," Bedford said Wednesday.
Go deeper: What to do if your flight is canceled amid the shutdown