The U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration administrator Bryan Bedford announced Wednesday that the FAA will make an effort to reduce air traffic beginning Friday.
Up to 40 airports, including Los Angeles International, Chicago O’Hare International, San Francisco International and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, will be affected by this cut, impacting the thousands of students who will travel to and from USC for the upcoming Thanksgiving break.
Raana Forgah, a sophomore studying cognitive science, is from Brooklyn. Forgah said she is planning to fly out of LAX to travel home through the John F. Kennedy International Airport for Thanksgiving.
However, with the recent cuts, she said she was skeptical about the status of her flights home for Thanksgiving break and for the near future.
“I am worried that more flights will be delayed because I also have to schedule my flight back for winter break,” said Forgah.
Forgah said that if her upcoming flight is delayed or canceled, she will have to make significant adjustments.
“If it comes to that case where a flight that I have is delayed, I probably would have to go to a different airport,” she said.
Forgah is not the only student worried about the impact.
Roxy Gevas is a junior in the School for Dramatic Arts studying acting. She is from Florida and is planning on going home in two weeks. Gevas said she was unfamiliar with the recent decision, but found it concerning as her flight home is scheduled late in the day.
“That is kind of concerning because my flight is already late, and I don’t want my parents to have to come drive and get me at 4 a.m.,” Gevas said.
Even those from LA who were not planning to travel for the holidays are nervous about the repercussions moving forward.
“I mean, that would be huge and detrimental because I have family in the Bay Area and I don’t get to spend a lot of time with them,” said Jace Adeva, a sophomore studying journalism. “If I get a flight delayed, that’s one less day I can hang with them.”
Bedford told reporters that the goal is to reduce pressure in “high-volume markets” before safety is affected. To prevent future harm, air traffic is set to be cut by 10 percent, causing more flight cancellations and delays.
The decision comes amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which has forced TSA agents, air traffic controllers and other federal airport employees to work without pay. The lack of pay has caused many to call in sick and even seek alternative sources of income, exacerbating delays and flight cancellations due to understaffing.
Just last month, those flying out of Hollywood Burbank Airport faced difficulty as a lack of air traffic controllers caused delays. Between 4:15 p.m. and 10 p.m. on October 6, Burbank towers were left without any air traffic controllers as Southern California TRACON took over remotely.
LAX also closed Terminal 5 on October 28 in preparation for increased travel ahead of the 2028 Olympics, forcing JetBlue, American Airlines, and Spirit to relocate andin turn, causing increased traffic at other terminals.