As the end to the government shutdown nears, flight delays and cancellations continued at airports across the country, including at DFW Airport and Dallas Love Field on Wednesday. 

Even if the government shutdown ends, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said flight reductions will continue because operations need to stabilize.

“It’s been a little chaotic, I think,” said April Phillips, who was traveling home to DFW from Florida. “I just hope everything gets back to normal soon. They (federal employees) definitely should be reimbursed for their delay in pay.”

Wednesday air travel disruptions continued at both metroplex airports, with dozens of cancellations and delays. Even as a deal to reopen the government nears, airports nationwide are preparing for a 10% cut to flights by Friday, leaving many travelers unsure what to expect.

“I looked at that before I came, I thought, we just came a little bit early, we thought it might take us a little while, or be delayed, but it wasn’t,” said Shannon Smith.

The FAA required airlines to reduce flights because of air traffic controller shortages, amid the government shutdown, causing TSA agents and air traffic controllers to go without pay. 

“So far it’s been good,” said Lahketha Ransfer, visiting from Lubbock. “I pray for the employees every night, because I know that it’s hard, even with a job, so I can’t even imagine.”

Federal workers struggle without pay

Many federal employees have not been paid in over a month,  despite, in some cases, continuing to work overtime just like they had been prior to the shutdown. Dallas Love Field staff stepped in to help its employees by opening a donation drive with food and necessities to support employees struggling to make ends meet.

“It is difficult to ask for help, but they are so grateful, and I think sometimes when you bring the help to people, they are more willing to accept it,” said Jozelyn Escobedo, a spokesperson with Love Field. “Cause even if the shutdown ends, these employees are still trying to catch up, because they have gone without pay for a while, so we’ll continue to be there as long as we can for them.”

Flight recovery expected to be gradual

Duffy said even if the government shutdown ends, flight cuts will remain in place until operations stabilize. He added that it’s going to be a gradual process to get back to normal operations, which aviation expert Kit Darby said recovery in our skies should be quick, if the government reopens soon.

“These are planned cancellations, so we’ve known about this since last week,” said Darby. “We know where the planes are, we know where the people are. I think this will be a pretty fast recovery, so I think in a few days, we’ll get most of it back, and in a week or so, we’ll be 100%.”

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