San Francisco International sees ramp up in delays, cancellations amid FAA flight cuts

By Da Lin

The record-setting federal government shutdown is taking a toll on air travelers, especially at the nation’s busiest airports. On Saturday, the FAA’s mandate to reduce flights at the country’s 40 busiest airports, including San Francisco and Oakland, led to dozens of cancellations and hundreds of delays.

The Transportation Secretary said the reductions are necessary for public safety, as there aren’t enough air traffic controllers on duty. Many are working without pay, and those who are on the job are logging long hours, sometimes taking second jobs to cover bills. The FAA has warned that flight cuts could reach up to 10% by next Friday if the shutdown continues.

At San Francisco International Airport, the impact was visible throughout the day. FlightAware reported by Saturday evening, 39 cancellations and roughly 300 delays. The FAA stated the average delays ran about 54 minutes, mostly due to staffing shortages.

A fun week-long visit to San Francisco ended on a low note for sisters Lisa Biele and Kerri Gillet of New York. Their Saturday morning JetBlue flight to New York was canceled after two delays, forcing them to buy new tickets on Delta for an 11 p.m. flight.

“Our flight was canceled after two delays. Now we’re stuck here for another 12 hours,” said Gillet.

“Definitely a major inconvenience. 12 hours is a long time,” added Biele.

Gillet said she was disappointed to be away from her family. 

“I want to go home,” Gillet said. “I miss my family. I have an 8-year-old daughter.  I miss her, it’s been a week.”

Scott Leyendecker, a business traveler trying to get back to Texas, faced similar difficulties. “It started last night, it’s also one of the later flights out. That got pushed, then it eventually got canceled out. So I had to swap to an earlier flight this morning,” he said.

But Leyendecker said his morning flight was delayed to Saturday afternoon.

The delays are costing passengers extra time and money. 

“I had to get a car for another day.  I had to do hotel, all that stuff, extra cash that wasn’t in the budget,” Leyendecker said.

Some travelers are taking extra precautions to avoid being stranded. Will Van Trump, leaving for a trip, said he booked a backup flight with another airline just in case. 

“Getting back, fingers crossed, I did book a backup flight on another airline coming back, so I have two flights that I can consider,” he said.

Julie Gainsley, a retired flight attendant now working as an airport concierge, said frustration levels are high. 

“I’ve been seeing the canceled flights and the frustration, and the people sitting with their babies for hours because they can’t get somewhere.  So the irritability level is rising,” Gainsley said. 

She added that while flying is very safe, she won’t fly until the shutdown ends. 

“I am concerned [about safety] because when the air traffic controllers get fatigued, it takes a toll on everybody,” Gainsley said. “The longer it goes on, the worse it’s going to get.”

Despite the disruptions, some passengers remain hopeful. Lisa and Kerri jumped at a standby option offered by Delta Airlines.

“Hopefully, this whole shutdown will end shortly and people can get back to getting paid,” Gillet said. 

Biele added, “And everybody can travel without worrying about everything being up in the air at the last minute.”

San Francisco International typically sees about 140,000 passengers on a Saturday, according to airport officials. With the FAA-mandated flight cuts, many of those travelers are now facing long delays and canceled flights.