Long Delays At ATL Airport As FAA Reduces Flights

ATLANTA, GA — The Atlanta airport is experiencing delays up to an hour on Friday, the day after the Federal Aviation Administration announced flight reductions at 40 of the busiest airports nationally due to the government shutdown.

Departures were delayed by at least 45 minutes late morning at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to FlightAware data, which tracks air travel. Some flights were delayed by an hour, with steady increases, data showed.

Flightview, a second tracker, showed staffing was the reason for gate holds and taxi delays between 46 minutes and an hour at Hartsfield-Jackson. Arrivals were up to 15 minutes late at the airport, data showed.

The FAA announced Thursday that 40 “high-volume markets” will have flights reduced by 10 percent. The agency said the move is intended to keep the airspace safe during the shutdown.

The Associated Press published a list of airports Thursday that will face flight restrictions, which began Friday. That list, which includes Hartsfield-Jackson, can be found here.

Hartsfield-Jackson is the world’s busiest airport in the country, according to an analysis of 2024 passenger traffic in North America by Airports Council International, a global trade association.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines previously announced plans to lessen flights to comply with the FAA's instructions, starting Friday. (Delta passengers can check their flight status here.)

In an update, the airline said this would impact flights traveling to, from or through certain destinations. Flights to and from Montego Bay, Jamaica were already impacted due to devastation from Hurricane Melissa.

There were 20 Delta flight cancellations between Thursday evening and Friday morning, according to FlightAware data. Southwest Airlines and United Airlines were in the same boat.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday said, "safety is priority (number) 1."

"I have done all I can to minimize disruption in the airspace," Duffy tweeted. "I’m trying to get people where they want to go and to get there safely. We are taking unprecedented action at @USDOT because we are in an unprecedented shutdown."

Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. Most work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills and other expenses unless they call out of work.

Mounting staffing pressures are forcing the agency to act, Agency administrator Bryan Bedford said Wednesday at a news conference.

Major airlines, aviation unions and the broader travel industry have been urging Congress to end the shutdown.

It has put unnecessary strain on the system and is “forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman in a statement.

Duffy warned earlier this week that there could be chaos in the skies if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paycheck next week.

Some controllers can get by missing one paycheck, but not two or more. And he has said some controllers are even struggling to pay for transportation to work.

The shutdown is now the longest federal government closure on record. The issue at hand: expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits Democratic senators say affects 1.4 million Georgians.

Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, previously blamed Georgia Democrats for not reopening the government in what he called the "Schumer Shutdown."

"It is outrageous that Democrats like Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are doing everything but voting to reopen the government," Kemp said in a Facebook post published on Oct. 29.

Warnock and Ossoff have vowed to protect health-care premiums in Georgia. They have been debating with GOP congressional leaders about Affordable Care Act tax credits, which offer health-care assistance.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the credits will expire at the end of the year if Congress does not agree on a decision to extend the credits.

"1.4 million Georgians could see their premiums skyrocket next year if ACA subsidies expire," Ossoff tweeted on Oct. 8, a week after the shutdown began.

In a followup tweet on Oct. 23, he said, "If ACA tax credits expire at the end of the year ... hundreds of thousands of Georgians could be forced off their health insurance."

The shutdown has impacted more than air travel. The federally-funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was in lingo, and five Georgia Head Start programs were in danger of being impacted due to lack of funding.

But there were two temporary fixes: the Trump administration will partially fund SNAP by court order and three of Georgia's largest Head Start providers have been granted a temporary bridge loan from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta to stay open for 45 days amid the shutdown. They are YMCA of Metro Atlanta, Sheltering Arms and Easterseals of North Georgia.

As of Friday, there was no clear sign of when the shutdown may end.

RELATED:

• ATL Airport Among 40 That Will See Flight Reductions
• Kemp Rejects Idea To Spend $14B Surplus To Fund SNAP Amid Government Shutdown
• SNAP Benefits Partially Restored: What It Means For GA
• GA SNAP Payments Ordered During Government Shutdown, Courts Say

The Associated Press contributed reporting.