Travelers who use New York Stewart International Airport could be affected by the cutbacks in flights at 40 major airports around the country.
Both of the airlines currently serving Stewart fly to at least one of the affected airports.
USA TODAY reported Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced at a Nov. 5 news conference that there will be a 10% cut in flights at 40 major airports around the country.
The cuts are being made due to the continuing, and now record-setting, government shutdown.
Which Stewart flights could be impacted?
Breeze Airways flies several times each week from Stewart to Orlando International Airport in Florida, one of the airports affected.
And Allegiant Airlines, the other airline currently serving Stewart, flies to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, also in Florida and also affected by the cut in flights.
Allegiant also flies from Stewart to Orlando, but its flights go to a different airport, Orlando Sanford International Airport, which is not one affected by the cuts.
There was no initial indication when, if or how often the flight cuts could affect Stewart travelers.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport, released this statement on Nov. 6:
“The Port Authority is aware of the announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation. We remain in close communication with our airline, federal and airport community partners – including FAA, TSA, CBP, terminal operators and concessions – to monitor the situation, support their operations as needed and ensure our customers have the resources they need to navigate any potential delays or cancellations.”
Why are flight reductions happening?
The flight cuts are being made to relieve pressure on the nation’s air traffic controllers, who are currently working but not receiving paychecks due to the government shutdown.
Duffy conceded this move will lead to more flight cancellations, but said, “We are going to work with the airlines to do this in a systematic way.”
Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford added that the reductions will “put the relief where the relief will do the most good,” and the FAA will work with the airlines on how to implement them.
“We’re not going to do anything that will compromise the safety of air travel in the United States,” Bedford said.
Reports: Here are the 40 airports with reduced flights
The airports named to face flight cuts are listed below, but could change when an official list is released by the FAA, according to reports from ABC News and CBS News.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com. Contributing: Kathryn Palmer, Kathleen Wong, Zachary Schermele – USA TODAY
(This story has been updated to add a statement from Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.)
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Stewart Airport travelers could be affected by flight cuts at 40 major airports. See list
Reporting by Mike Randall and James Powel, Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
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