The number of flights canceled Saturday at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport rose to 38 on the second day of the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to reduce flights at major airports due to the federal government shutdown.
Friday saw 28 cancellations, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight delays and cancellations.
“Everything at the airport right now is going really well, really smoothly, Sea-Tac spokesperson Kassie McKnight-Xi said Saturday morning. Sea-Tac sees 1,100 to 1,300 departures and arrivals daily.
Across the nation, air traffic controllers have been working without pay, leading to high numbers of workers calling in sick. Transportation Security Administration employees have also been increasingly absent.
The FAA issued its order Thursday directing 40 of the nation's busiest airports, which include Sea-Tac, to gradually reduce flights, starting with 4% on Friday and reaching 10% by Nov. 14.
SkyWest Airlines had 15 of Saturday's 38 canceled departures and arrivals at Sea-Tac. Alaska Airlines canceled 10 and Horizon Air seven. The canceled flights were slated for destinations as close as Bellingham and as far as Newark, N.J.
Alaska Airlines reported Friday that it expected to cancel 36 to 40 Alaska and Hawaiian flights daily through Sunday. Passengers whose flights were canceled Friday were rebooked.
SkyWest as of midmorning had the most cancellations nationwide, with 189 flights out of Saturday's 921 cancellations within, into or out of the U.S.
Southwest Airlines canceled the second-most flights, at 111. Alaska had canceled 12 flights nationwide.
The flight cuts focused primarily on shorter domestic and regional routes, largely sparing international service and flights between hub airports.
Regional airports in Washington saw disruptions on Saturday, too. Spokane International had four cancellations, while Bellingham International and Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco had two cancellations each. There were no cancellations at Paine Field Airport in Everett.
As of Saturday evening, 42 flights had already been canceled for Sunday at Sea-Tac. Twenty-six of those were SkyWest flights. Ten were with Alaska Airlines.
Spokane International will have at least six cancellations Sunday, and Bellingham International will have four.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said this week the aim is to bring relief to air traffic controllers who have been working without pay.
Duffy said flight cancellations could rise to 20% if the government shutdown continues beyond next week.
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