Airlines serving three major airports frequented by Pennsylvanians will be limiting their flights Friday following an order from the Federal Aviation Administration.
On Thursday, the FAA ordered airlines to cut 10% of their flights at 40 of the country’s busiest airports, including the Philadelphia International Airport, the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and the Washington Dulles International Airport.
Neither Pittsburgh International Airport, Harrisburg International Airport, nor Lehigh Valley International Airport are affected. Major airports in both New York and New Jersey are also included.
The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry urged Congress to end the shutdown in a statement to the Capital-Star, noting that both of the state’s U.S. senators supported a continuing resolution that would fund the government until Nov. 21.
“Every day this government shutdown continues is another day of uncertainty for employers and workers,” said Jon Anzur, the organization’s senior vice president of public affairs. “As we warned before the expiration of government funding, a shutdown has serious consequences for Pennsylvania’s economy — undermining business confidence, delaying federal permitting, inspections, and contracting, and disrupting essential services that support infrastructure, transportation, food distribution, and public safety.”
“The FAA’s decision to limit flights from Philadelphia International Airport is the latest example of how these disruptions directly affect businesses that rely on travel to operate and grow.”
In separate releases, airlines said the overall impact should be minimal.
“We expect the vast majority of our customers’ travel will be unaffected, and long-haul international travel will remain as scheduled,” American Airlines said in a Thursday release. “… Disrupting customers’ plans is the last thing we want to do. To provide additional flexibility during the impacted travel period, customers whose flights are cancelled for any reason or who choose not to travel will be able to change their flight or request a refund without any penalty.”
Delta likewise said it would waive penalties and United Airlines said travelers would be eligible for refunds.
The order came on the 37th day of the federal shutdown, which began Oct. 1 and is the longest in the country’s history. During much of that time, air traffic controllers, customs officers and Transportation Security Administration agents have worked without pay. Last weekend was the worst weekend for traffic controller staffing since the shutdown started, according to CNN.
The FAA oversees more than 44,000 flights daily, a number that includes passenger, cargo and private aircraft.
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Speaking prior to the FAA announcement, Gov. Josh Shapiro spoke about potential impacts in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh on CNN, calling it “yet another example of the kind of chaos that (President) Donald Trump has brought to our country.”
“Republicans control the White House. They control the House. They control the Senate,” he added. “They gotta reopen the government, and they gotta pay these workers who do really critical tasks for us, like keeping us safe when we’re in the skies. It’s time for them to get this over with, and get people back to work, pay folks, and end this shutdown.”
Nearly 31 million people flew through Philadelphia in 2024, according to the airport, across more than 17 million flights. That number doesn’t include cargo planes delivering mail or freight. BWI saw more than 26 million passengers in 2023, while Dulles reported nearly 54 million passengers last year.
Earlier this week, Philadelphia announced that it would close two security checkpoints in collaboration with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.
“Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) remains open and operating. We encourage all travelers to check flight status directly with their airline and sign up for text or email alerts for the latest flight updates,” the airport tweeted Thursday.
Dulles released a lengthier statement, affirming that non-government services like parking, concessions, customer service and public safety continue to operate as normal.
“However, staffing of essential federal services such as security screening and air traffic control is underfunded and could affect flight schedules or security checkpoint wait times,” the airport warned, bolding the first word.
The Airports Council International-North America, an airport trade group, estimated a 10% reduction would mean 3,300 canceled daily flights.
