- Delta planned to retain all long-haul international services while reducing other flights.
- UPS and FedEx said many of their flights operate at night.
- Penfield forecast possible delivery delays of a day or two at the mid-December peak.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered carriers at 40 airports to cut total daily scheduled domestic operations by 10% amid staffing strains tied to the government shutdown. The window runs from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time. The scope is domestic.
Airlines were expected to start implementing the order on a Friday, but its calendar start date and whether the flight restrictions remain in force are unclear. Domestic passengers face the direct exposure; international flights are outside the reduction described.
The order cites safety concerns linked to staffing pressure. Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners were working without pay, while the FAA had a shortage of about 3,500 staff. Many controllers were already working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks before the shutdown.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said officials acted to prevent worsening conditions rather than wait for a safety problem.
“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.
Thanksgiving schedules and holiday cargo face separate pressures
Delta planned to reduce flights while retaining all long-haul international services. United said it would focus reductions on regional flying and domestic routes outside its hubs, and expected to rebook many affected travelers. The carriers’ plans differ.
Airlines estimated that staffing-shortage delays had already affected at least 3.2 million travelers nationwide. Thanksgiving is approaching during what the research describes as the busiest travel period of the year, adding pressure for passengers whose plans depend on domestic flights.
Cargo customers face a different mix of risks. The order does not specifically address cargo flights, and FedEx and UPS said many of their flights operate at night. Passenger aircraft also carry freight in their cargo holds, so schedule reductions can affect domestic shipping capacity.
The separate grounding of MD-11 aircraft followed a cargo-plane crash. UPS and FedEx said they were grounding their MD-11 fleets; those aircraft make up roughly 9% of UPS’s fleet and 4% of FedEx’s. The groundings add pressure independent of the shutdown order.
Major package hubs are in affected areas: FedEx has key facilities in Indianapolis and Memphis, while UPS’s largest hub, Worldport, is in Louisville, Kentucky. Those locations handle shipments during the holiday rush.
Patrick Penfield, a supply-chain management professor at Syracuse University, described the capacity reduction and aircraft grounding as a “one-two punch” for cargo carriers and shoppers.
“So they’re already scrambling as it is during the holiday season, and they’re going to scramble even more.”
Penfield forecast that deliveries could arrive a day or two late during the mid-December peak. That is a forecast, not a confirmed delay. UPS said it was confident in its network, while FedEx said it made operational changes to keep shipments moving safely and swiftly.
Passengers can check before leaving, and shoppers can order early
Airlines said they would notify customers if a flight is canceled. Check your airline’s app or a flight-tracking site before heading to the airport.
Penfield recommends ordering holiday gifts early. Businesses shipping goods can also account for the distinct pressures on domestic air capacity and the grounded aircraft when planning peak-season deliveries.
