Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Flights from the U.S. into Cancun International will not be affected by the FAA ordered flight reductions. On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a reduction in flights in the country’s major airports.
Flight cuts by 4% were announced to start Friday. By November 14, that number will be raised to a 10% reduction in operations in 40 major airports across the U.S.
The 40 U.S. airports on this list include cities such as Chicago, the New York Area, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth, all cities with direct flights into Cancun.
American Airlines said that approximately 220 flights will be cancelled a day at the 4% reduction rate, however, they will not include flights to Canada or Mexico. American Airlines CEO David Seymour confirmed Friday that there will be no impact to their international flights.
His comments were made after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy confirmed Thursday that “the order does not require a reduction in international flights. Carriers may use their own discretion to decide which flights are canceled to reach the order’s goal.
“Decisions to increase or decrease these flight reductions will be informed by safety data.”
Although the FAA ordered flight cuts in high-traffic airports, those cuts will not affect travelers with flights booked to Mexico.
The reduction in national airport operations is meant to ease pressure among air traffic controllers as the government shutdown drags on.
The shutdown has resulted in less air traffic contollers arriving for unpaid work. The lack of staff has hit the industry hard, resulting in delays and cancellations.
“My department has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety. This isn’t about politics – it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.
“It’s safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe to fly next week because of the proactive actions we are taking.”
“We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” said Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford.
“The FAA will continue to closely monitor operations, and we will not hesitate to take further action to make sure air travel remains safe.”
