JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Cancelations and delays are mounting at major U.S. airports Friday morning, a day after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to cut thousands of flights due to the government shutdown.
The start of the cutbacks is 6 a.m. Friday, but delays were already stacking up hours before. As of 4:45 a.m., tracking website FlightAware.com had 815 flights cancelled within, into, or out of the United States. That number included 504 total delays in the U.S.
The top five U.S. airports with cancelled flights as of 5 a.m. were, Chicago O’Hare Intl ORD, 40; Hartsfield-Jackson Intl ATL, 38; Denver Intl DEN, 35; Dallas-Fort Worth Intl DFW, 31; and Los Angeles Intl LAX, 27.
There were 12 cancellations at both Orlando Intl MCO and Tampa Intl TPA at 5 a.m. and 10 at Fort Lauderdale Intl FLL.
Read: What rights do passengers have?
By 5:30 a.m. these are the top 5 airlines with canceled and delayed flight:
- SkyWest 172 canceled, 52 delayed
- Southwest 121 canceled, 112 delayed
- Republic 82 canceled, 0 delayed
- Endeavor Air 80 canceled, 1 delayed
- United 64 canceled, 43 delayed
What rights do passengers have?
U.S. airlines are not required to pay additional cash compensation or to cover lodging and meals for passengers who are stranded, even if a flight cancellation or a severe delay is the airline’s fault.
But United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines said they will offer refunds to passengers who opt not to fly while the FAA’s order is in place, even if they purchased tickets that aren’t normally refundable. Southwest Airlines said it would do the same through Wednesday.
You can also check the Department of Transportation’s website to see what your airline promises for refunds or other costs if your flight is canceled or delayed.
*Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
