JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Hundreds of flights are canceled at major airports across the country today thanks to the ongoing government shutdown. The FAA says the cuts are aimed at reducing the burden on air traffic controllers who've been working for weeks without pay. Jeremy Siegel from member station GBH in Boston reports.
JEREMY SIEGEL, BYLINE: The Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to reduce air traffic at the nation's 40 busiest hubs by 10%, but that's not immediate. Airlines are gradually phasing things in. And today, just 3- to 4% of flights in the U.S. are canceled. Still, at Boston's Logan International Airport, the lines are long at airline help desks. Many passengers are curled up on terminal benches catching a snooze, and others huddle over their phones, trying to figure out what's next.
Patricia Andeweg is from Australia but lives in Rhode Island. This week, she was planning to head from Boston to Brisbane to celebrate her birthday with family. But her connecting flight through San Francisco was canceled this morning, and Andeweg was forced to cancel her birthday plans.
PATRICIA ANDEWEG: By the time I get there, the birthday celebrations are all over. And how am I going to get back, if this is going to go on?
SIEGEL: Yeah.
ANDEWEG: So I said goodbye. But I'm so sorry, of course, to miss my 90th birthday.
SIEGEL: Oh, my gosh. Your 90th birthday, you said?
ANDEWEG: Yes.
SIEGEL: It's unclear whether Andeweg's flight was canceled because of the shutdown. Still, she's remained positive. She says the airline employees and the airport workers who pushed her through the terminal in her wheelchair were extremely helpful.
ANDEWEG: I'm missing my birthday, but on the other hand, I met so many helpful people right, left and center. So, you know, people are nice. I call it the journey to nowhere.
SIEGEL: Other travelers have been luckier. Hester Jean is headed on a short trip to Jamaica this weekend. She says her flight was delayed 30 minutes but not canceled. Still, Jean's concerned that even if she makes it to Jamaica with no trouble, the shutdown-related delays and cancellations could leave her stranded.
HESTER JEAN: Am I going to be stuck where I am? - 'cause usually when I travel, it's, like, really short. So I need to make sure I can get on those flights and back 'cause I'm, like, going to work, so I don't want to miss my flight.
SIEGEL: Major airlines say they're notifying passengers of changes and offering refunds or vouchers for canceled flights. For NPR News, I'm Jeremy Siegel in Boston. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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