How the FAA flight reduction will impact MSP

Starting Friday, airlines will cancel flights at busy airports across the country, including the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration directed airlines to cut traffic by 10 percent to keep travelers safe during the government shutdown.

Air traffic controllers have been working without pay since Oct. 1 and that has exacerbated staffing problems. The shutdown is now the longest in United States history.

“If reductions are enacted, travelers should be prepared for flight disruptions at MSP and other airports across the country,” a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Airport Commission, which oversees MSP, said in a statement to MPR News. “Travelers should check with their airline for the latest flight information.”

As of Thursday afternoon, the flight tracking website FlightAware reported 24 cancellations at MSP Friday.

Gunnar Olson, a reporter and podcast host with Thrifty Traveler joined MPR News host Nina Moini with advice for passengers.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

What will these flight reductions look like at MSP?

We know the cuts are likely to be around 10 percent at these major airports, but this is going to happen gradually. So we're not going to see a 10 percent cut starting at 6 a.m. Friday morning at MSP. It might be much lower than that, and then it might grow to something closer to 10 percent, which is about 40 flights a day out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, so it’s really not nothing.

Which flights are expected to be canceled?

United Airlines has been pretty transparent. They said — and actually, American and Delta have said the same thing — they're not going to cut any long-haul international flights. So your big trip to Europe, if you're flying this week or next week, that's going to be safe. Most likely, they said they also are going to try not to cut hub-to-hub flying. Minneapolis is a Delta hub. So if you're flying Minneapolis to Atlanta, chances are — I can't guarantee it, but chances are, your flight is going to be okay.

That leaves a lot of these regional flights. I'm afraid the people who might get hurt by this are people flying to smaller airports in more rural areas, so those are the flights that could hit the cutting room floor here as the airlines try to reach this 10 percent cut. I think the airlines are scrambling a little bit to figure out which are going to lose in this case.

What's your advice to people who have flights coming up in the short-term?

You have a right to a refund

If the airline cancels your flight, you're due a refund if you don't take the rebooking that they offer you. They'll cancel your flight and then say, “Okay, now you're on the flight that connects through Atlanta.” If you take that flight through Atlanta, then you're not due the refund anymore. But if you don't like the rebooking, you can get a refund from your airline.

Check for travel waivers

The airlines are offering some added flexibility right now, because they know there's a lot of uncertainty out there. So American, Delta and United have issued what they call travel waivers, which means you can change your flight without the change fee, and in many cases, without even paying the difference in the fare.

If you're a little worried about your flight and you know you have to get somewhere, rebook and try to get out Thursday night or Friday morning.

Take the first flight of the day

Flight delays and cancellations cascade throughout the day. A flight that's canceled at 9 a.m. leads to another flight that's canceled at 11:30 a.m. and another flight that's canceled at 2 p.m. and it just keeps going on and on and on. You see the biggest and worst delays in the evening hours. If you can rebook for that first flight of the day, it might be a pain to get out of bed extra early, but you're way more likely to get to your destination.

What’s your advice to people who are thinking about Thanksgiving and holiday travel?

We really hope that [the shutdown] doesn't get to Thanksgiving because that is a huge travel holiday throughout the U.S. and especially in the skies. The Sunday after Thanksgiving is always the busiest travel day of the year. Things could get really, really nasty, and we could see massive, sweeping cancellations and delays, in which case the roads might be a little more congested and the trains might be, too. So I hope we don't get to that point.

I would say, plan for the worst. We're still far enough out from Thanksgiving and Christmas that if you want to buy a totally refundable backup flight on a different airline, that might be a smart use of your money, especially if you can get your money back if your flight does operate. There's no rule that says you can't have two flight reservations at the same time on the same day. So go ahead and book yourself an alternative and start researching now. I wouldn't wait.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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