CHEYENNE — Wyoming’s airports are warning travelers to expect delays and cancellations in the wake of a decision by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to reduce the number of domestic flights out of major airports.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford on Thursday announced the implementation of a 4% "reduction in operations" across 40 major U.S. airports due to funding shortages caused by the government shutdown. That amount will increase to 6% by Tuesday, 8% by Nov. 13 and 10% by Nov. 14.
“Since the beginning of the shutdown, controllers have been working without pay, and staffing triggers at air traffic facilities across the country have been increasing,” the FAA says in a statement. “This has resulted in increased reports of strain on the system from both pilots and air traffic controllers. This past weekend, there were 2,740 delays at various airports.”
The FAA reports it oversees about 44,360 flights per day with as many as 5,500 aircraft in the sky at peak operational times. It manages 19,482 airports, which see a combined 3 million passengers per day.
In the Rocky Mountain region, the FAA’s announcements mean flights out of the Denver International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport are facing the brunt of the impact. National flight tracking information shows at least 17,000 flights were delayed Friday and at least 1,300 were canceled.
While Wyoming’s airports were not directly targeted by the reduction, some are already predicting that travelers could experience disruptions.
For many of the state’s smaller airports which focus on traffic to and from Denver, this reduction could potentially pose a significant threat to operations in the coming days.
Casper
The Casper/Natrona County International Airport on Friday warned that some travelers could experience cancellations stemming from the effects of the government’s decision. Airport Director Glenn Januska told Cowboy State Daily, however, the airport has thankfully yet to see any flights impacted.
“We understand that maintaining the safest air transportation system is the top priority, and therefore understand the necessity for the flight reductions,” Januska wrote via email. “Thus far we have been lucky to not have seen any delays or cancellations due to shutdown caused staffing concerns, and we are greatly appreciative to our federal partners who continue showing up for our travelers.”
United flights, particularly those to and from Denver, will likely experience the most delays, Januska said. He encouraged travelers to stay up to date with information from the airline.
“We have seen that there will be impacts to some United flights to and from Denver, but the full impact remains fluid,” Januska said.
Cheyenne
Tim Bradshaw, director of aviation at the Cheyenne Regional Airport, told Cowboy State Daily the reduction in flights will most likely mean his airport will see a 50% reduction in its flights.
“We only have two flights a day,” he said. “We have a morning departure and an afternoon departure, and then the plane comes back at night and spends the night. So how we're going to see this affect us is that our midday flight will more than likely be canceled.”
While the cancellation will likely affect the airport’s bottom line, Bradshaw said those who will really feel the effects are the travelers.
“It hurts in a lot of ways again, but mostly hurts the consumer more than anything, because they don't have the opportunity to make the connections, weddings, funerals, job interviews, those types of things,” he said.
He also predicted the reductions could have a “ripple effect” on rental car purchases and restaurant revenue. Bradshaw said his own flight next week may even be canceled.
“I have a flight next Friday, and I'm watching it now to try to make another arrangement, or try to do something else,” he said.
Cody
Lisa Stott of the Yellowstone Regional Airport said she received confirmation flights out of her airport will not be impacted between Nov. 7 and Nov. 9, but could not speak to the potential future impacts should the government shutdown persist.
“It's a possibility because they did say that there were 40 major airlines, Denver being one of them, and that's the only place we fly to,” Stott said of potential cancellations out of Yellowstone. “And they also said that regional airports may be affected as well, but so far, we have not been affected.”
Rock Springs
Southeast Wyoming Regional Airport Director Devon Brubaker said his airport in Rock Springs is also scheduled to operate normally through Sunday.
“We've been assured by the airline that they will spread the pain, if you will, across all markets and all airports around the country,” he said. “So it won't all be centered on one airport or one state and one benefit. The FAA recognize that the airlines, without any guardrails, would likely cancel regional flights before they canceled mainline flights.”
Brubaker added that the shutdown is beginning to take a toll on airport workforce, including TSA agents, which are essential to airport operations.
“Congress needs to get to work and do their jobs and fund our government,” he said. “We have TSA employees at every commercial service airport in this country working without pay. We have air traffic controllers at every air traffic facility in this country working without pay.”
“And I believe today is what the 37th day, 38th day, whatever it is, and I don't know many people that can go that long without pay, and to expect them to continue to show up to work is just completely unacceptable,” he added. “I am grateful that our TSA at our airport, we have not had sick-outs, we have not had call-outs, and our folks continue to show up to work for every flight to make sure that all of our flights get out of here on time and on schedule, and that's very much appreciated and a testament to their dedication, but they shouldn't have to have their dedication tested by their employer.”
Economy Ticket
Rusty Bell, CEO of Gillette-based Energy Capital Economic Development, told Cowboy State Daily a decrease in the volume of flights throughout the state could potentially result in wide ranging consequences for several areas of the state's economy.
“Commercial air travel in Wyoming is critical for our businesses,” he said. “I mean, it's a big deal.”
Airline shakeups such as these can cause travelers to change their flight plans, which could add further instability to the industry, he added.
“What we see is that people just postpone,” Bell said. “They just postpone their business trips until they can travel. Large companies, they don't travel commercial anyway, a lot of them, so they come in on private jets or private flights.”
He said the state could primarily experience negative outcomes in tourism, one of Wyoming’s most substantial revenue streams.
“I would imagine you'd feel it in tourism,” Bell said. “Obviously we're in hunting season now, and those folks that are coming here to hunt are either going to fly or drive.”
Wyomingites can take some solace in the fact that most hunters will likely be undeterred by making a long road trip out to Wyoming, Bell said.
“I know the will of the hunters at least,” he said. “I'm not going to speak for everybody tourism wise, but I know the will of the hunters, and they're probably still coming. A lot of them drive anyway, because they're going to take their stuff back with them.”
Shutdown Woes
The cancellations come as the longest government shutdown in the history of the United States continues through its 37th day. Despite this, U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming say they do not want their Republican colleagues to throw out the legislative filibuster, the tool Senate Democrats have used repeatedly to prolong the government shutdown.
That tactic allows the minority party in the Senate to block a bill by allowing debate to continue indefinitely. Under the rule known as cloture, a supermajority of 60 votes is required to end debate on a bill and overcome a filibuster.
“The Democrats in the future would weaponize the lack of a filibuster to ram through their radical agenda, making D.C. and Puerto Rico a state to rig the Senate map in their favor for generations,” Lummis told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday.
Laura Mengelkamp, a spokesperson for Barrasso, told Cowboy State Daily his view of the situation remains unchanged since his appearance on Fox News in which he predicted Democrats would use the lack of a filibuster to pack the Supreme Court and offer statehood to Puerto Rico.
Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.
