Four flights to or from Palm Springs had been canceled as of Friday afternoon, representing the first such cancellations as other, larger airports across the country started reducing flight traffic. The cutbacks were ordered by the FAA as the ongoing government shutdown has led to shortages of air traffic controllers.
The flight tracking website FlightAware showed four cancellations at Palm Springs International Airport: one flight each way between both Phoenix and Salt Lake City, both of which are among the 40 airports ordered to reduce flight traffic.
Skywest is a regional carrier that operates flights marketed and sold by other, larger airlines. The airport’s website shows the Phoenix and Salt Lake City flights are branded as American Airlines and Delta Airlines flights, respectively.
Delta spokesperson Morgan Durant would not discuss the Palm Springs flight specifically, but said Delta customers will be rebooked to “the next best option” if their flight is canceled and also have the option to cancel their reservation without paying a penalty.
Durant said the airline had already canceled all the flights it will be cutting through the weekend and that anyone scheduled to fly Delta through Nov. 14 can also rebook without paying a fee.
American Airlines confirmed it had canceled a flight between Phoenix and Palm Springs because of the required FAA reduction.
“The majority of customers won’t be impacted, but for those who are, we are providing refunds and flexibility to change flights without a penalty,” the airline’s statement read. “We are urging leaders in Washington to reopen the government immediately.”
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Thursday that he was ordering airlines to cut flights at 40 major American airports, with air traffic control and TSA staff increasingly not showing up to work as they go without pay.
While they must be paid for their work during the shutdown after it ends, the continued uncertainty about when that will happen is leading increasing numbers of workers to stop showing up.
So far, no other airlines have canceled flights in Palm Springs, according to FlightAware.
However, the website reported that nine flights on five different airlines had been delayed so far Friday. All but one of those delayed flights involved one of the 40 airports where Duffy has ordered the reduction in traffic.
The number of cancellations was a clear increase over recent days; FlightAware showed the airport had only seen one canceled flight between Tuesday and Thursday.
But FlightAware reported 10 delays at Palm Springs airport on Tuesday, 24 on Wednesday and 22 on Thursday. Delays had been rising nationwide over that three-day period as strain increased in the national airport system, leading to periods where traffic was temporarily grounded at multiple airports on Thursday.
So far, FlightAware was not reporting any cancellations in Palm Springs for Saturday or Sunday, although it said 814 had already been announced nationwide for Saturday and 547 for Sunday, as of about 2 p.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration has said the percent of flight capacity that would need to be cut would grow to 5% on Saturday and could gradually increase to 10% over the next week if the government shutdown doesn’t end before then.
If that happens, the situation seems assured to cause additional headaches for travelers at PSP, given that the vast majority of its flights are to or from one of the 40 US airports where traffic is being reduced. Many Palm Springs flights involve connecting at major western hub airports, such as Denver, Dallas and Las Vegas, all of which are on the FAA list.
Prolonged problems with air travel could prove particularly costly in the Coachella Valley, where seasonal tourism during the year’s cooler months is a major economic driver.
One of the first major events of the Coachella Valley’s annual high tourism season — Greater Palm Springs Pride — is taking place in downtown Palm Springs this weekend, while the busy Thanksgiving holiday travel period is now less than three weeks away. The situation could present an additional drag on tourism during a time when many worry the valley will also see less visitation than normal from Canadians offended by President Donald Trump’s tariffs and rhetoric aimed at their nation.
Aside from the cancellations, things seemed to be functioning fairly normally at the airport Friday. About 1 p.m., there was only a short wait at security. A spokesperson for the airport did not immediately respond Friday for a request for comment on whether the airport was being impacted by staffing issues with TSA.
The four cancellations represented 8% of scheduled flights at PSP on Friday while the delayed flights made up another 11%, according to FlightAware.
An airport spokesperson said earlier that PSP officials will keep travelers up to date. Updates on delays and cancellations are posted at flypsp.com/flight-status.
Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Several flights canceled at Palm Springs airport as FAA-ordered cuts begin
Reporting by Paul Albani-Burgio, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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