TAMPA, Fla. — Travelers at Tampa International Airport are facing delays and uncertainty as the Federal Aviation Administration implements emergency flight reductions at 40 major U.S. airports, including TPA.
The FAA announced Thursday it will reduce flights by up to 10% at high traffic airports due to increasing strain on air traffic controllers who continue working without pay during the government shutdown. The reductions begin Friday with a 4% cut, escalating to 10% by Nov. 14.
WATCH: Flight reductions hit Tampa International Airport as air traffic controllers continue working without pay
"My department has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. "This isn't about politics — it's about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay."
Stefan Hadzi-Pecov, a traveler from Chicago, experienced the impact firsthand during his trip to Clearwater Beach.
"I was super worried, because I have a church event tomorrow, and if I would have missed that, I would have been devastated," Hadzi-Pecov said.
Frontier Airlines notified passengers about the 10% flight reduction, advising them to have rescheduling information ready in case of cancellations.
"I'm worried about getting home on time, because I still got school on Monday," he added.
George Dennis, traveling from New York, faced a three-hour delay in Chicago but maintained a positive outlook.
"I know for a fact that everything happened for a reason," Dennis said. "If there's a delay, so that means that's for me, there's something ahead of me that's probably protected me from that."
Dennis then spent hours at TPA, this time waiting for an available rental car.
"They just told me, check back in the hour. So every hour I'm gonna just go check and see charging my phone, staying positive," he said.
The emergency order comes after 2,740 flight delays occurred over the past weekend, with staffing triggers increasing at air traffic facilities nationwide. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency is "seeing signs of stress in the system."
Tampa International Airport, the nation's 27th largest, with approximately 600 daily flight operations, is coordinating with airlines to implement the changes. The airport emphasized that individual carriers determine and communicate schedule modifications.
Airlines must issue full refunds for delays and cancellations resulting from the order, following standard procedures when disruptions are not the carrier's fault. The restrictions don't require reductions in international flights, allowing carriers discretion in choosing which domestic routes to cancel.
Additional safety measures include prohibiting some visual flight approaches at understaffed facilities, restricting commercial space launches to nighttime hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and banning parachute operations near affected airports.
The FAA will continue monitoring aviation safety data, including confidential reports from pilots and controllers, to determine whether further adjustments are necessary.
Passengers are advised to check directly with their airlines for the most current flight information as the situation develops.
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