Flights canceled at New York airports as shutdown reduces air travel

Travelers expecting a difficult scene at the region's airports Friday were relieved to find operations moving smoothly, even as dozens of flights were canceled on the first day of reduced air travel due to the federal government shutdown.

But flyers remained wary of future cancellations which will increase this week. The Federal Aviation Administration's order to ease the workload on air traffic controllers working without pay since Oct. 1 reduced flights Friday by 4%. That will increase to 10% by Nov. 14 at 40 of the nation's busiest airports, including LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark Liberty International.

There were more than 1,503 canceled flights nationwide as of about 9:45 p.m. Forty-eight were at LaGuardia, 44 at Kennedy and 49 at Newark, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. The reductions target flights between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. 

As a Baltimore-bound Southwest flight waited to take off from Islip Friday morning, passengers got notifications that their return trips were canceled. That set flyers openly debating whether to try to rent a car to drive back to Long Island or let the airline rebook.

The number of canceled flights will increase over the next week, to 6% by Tuesday, 8% by Thursday and then 10% Friday and beyond. The FAA's emergency order will stay in effect until it is canceled by the agency.

But Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has reiterated that it's safe to fly, said on Fox News Friday that if the shutdown continues, the number of cancellations could jump to 15% or 20%, The Associated Press reported.

On Friday, despite travelers bracing for a difficult day, there was general calm at the region's airports.

At the Delta check-in area at LaGuardia Airport at 7 a.m., there was no sign of trouble yet and lines were nonexistent. Most check-in terminals were empty and passengers moved straight to the luggage drop-off desk.

Matthew Yousefzadeh, 43, of Manhattan, said he arrived at the airport "extra early to make sure I had time in case something happened," but described the activity as LaGuardia as "pretty dead."

"I’m just a little surprised," he told Newsday. "My flight already has an automatic 30-minute delay, but that’s it so far."

Yousefzadeh, who was flying to Milwaukee for "a good friend's wedding," said a cancellation "would be quite problematic."

Yousefzadeh’s main concern after seeing the low level of activity at LaGuardia was that his flight out of Milwaukee would be canceled. "I packed extra stuff in case," he said.

At 8:30 a.m., Allyce Otanez, 36, of Los Angeles, was about to get in the security line at LaGuardia for her noon flight to Albany International Airport with her 14-year-old daughter, Rylee. After visiting New York City to see a performance of "Hamilton," they arrived 3½ hours early "just in case," but were pleasantly surprised by how quickly passengers were moving through security.

"I was nervous yesterday when they started announcing cancellations," she said. But "it’s not crazy lines, no cancellations or delays so far. Everything's on time."

Otanez remained concerned about her flight from Albany to Los Angeles scheduled for Sunday, however.

"I feel like [it’s] going to be a different ballgame. A couple more days will mean more changes and cancellations," she said. "I'm hoping to get through the weekend and maybe Monday they'll announce things."

Rylee, Otanez’s teenage daughter, brought her school materials in case flight delays keep her from returning to Los Angeles in time for class. But she said she wouldn’t be upset if she has to miss a day of school.

On a shuttle bus to Kennedy Airport on Friday morning, Dimitry Guydash, a 38-year-old resident of Rocky Point, was catching a flight to Barbados.

His said his flight hadn’t been impacted by the cuts "yet," but believes the government shutdown needs to end.

"Obviously [it's] affecting a lot of people in a negative way and it’s not good for anyone," Guydash said. “It’s inappropriate to use [the shutdown] as political leverage.”

Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip was not on the list of 40 airports required to reduce flights, but travelers said they were thankful the cancellations did not delay their travel.

"I was a little surprised," said Irene Reale, 62, of East Northport, who walked her son to the gate for his 9:39 a.m. flight to Tampa, Florida, which took off at 9:41 a.m.

Maribel Martinez, 43, of Patchogue, and Tristan Jackson, 43, of Riverhead, also reported no issues after arriving at MacArthur from Charlotte, North Carolina.

"I heard about the delays but was hoping there wouldn’t be any at a small airport," Martinez said. "We weren’t too concerned and hoped for the best. It worked out."

Symone Dolai, 47, arrived in Islip from San Francisco on a business trip after a 24-hour travel day that included two connections in Las Vegas and Baltimore.

"From what I’ve heard on the news, I was nervous," Dolai said. "All things considered, that is very smooth. I was pleasantly surprised."

Dolai said she plans to return home Monday and hopes the situation improves before then.

"I’m a little concerned because I hear it’s probably going to get worse as the days go by," she said. "It’s frustrating, but being frustrated isn’t going to help anything."

The Department of Transportation said airlines will be required to issue full refunds for canceled flights, according to the release.

In a Friday afternoon post on X, Duffy called air traffic controllers "patriots."

"The added stress is not what they deserve, it’s a paycheck!" Duffy said.

The Port Authority, in a statement emailed to Newsday on Thursday, said the agency will "remain in close communication with our airline, federal, and airport community partners — including FAA, TSA, CBP, terminal operators, and concessions — to monitor the situation, support their operations as needed, and ensure our customers have the resources they need to navigate any potential delays or cancellations."

Newsday's Rob Levin and Nicholas Grasso contributed to this story.