What to know if your flight is delayed or canceled during the shutdown
THIS COULD BE A GAME-CHANGER.
IN THE LAST 90 MINUTES, UNITED
AIRLINES SAYING IT WILL CUT
ABOUT 200 FLIGHTS STARTING
TOMORROW. THIS IS A RESPONSE TO
THE FAA SHRINKING FLIGHT
SCHEDULES DUE TO STAFFING
SHORTAGES FROM THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. THANKS FOR
BEING WITH US HERE AT 5
O'CLOCK. I'M ASHLEY WROTE AND
I'M GERALD OWENS. THE CUTS TO
THE FIGHT SCHEDULES MAY NOT BE
AS SEVERE AS FIRST EXPECTED.
>> WHAT WE'VE LEARNED, THE FAA
MAY ONLY ISSUE A 4% REDUCTION
TOMORROW, RATHER THAN 10%.
THOSE CUTS WOULD INCREASE EVERY
DAY. THE SHUTDOWN CONTINUES
RIGHT NOW. FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS
ARE ALREADY RAMPING UP 5 ON
YOUR SIDE'S KEELY. ARTHUR HAS
BEEN TRACKING THE IMPACTS TO
AIR TRAVEL SINCE THE SHUTDOWN
BEGAN. KELLY, LET'S TALK ABOUT
CONSUMER RIGHTS YET. THIS IS
WHAT EVERYONE'S THINKING ABOUT,
ESPECIALLY BECAUSE IT'S THE
HOLIDAY SEASON.
>> SO FLIGHTS ARE EXPECTED TO
BE CANCELED NATIONWIDE RDU
ISN'T DIRECTLY ON THE CUT LIST.
BUT WHEN THE SYSTEM STREAMS,
YOU KNOW, EVERY AIRPORT FEELS
IT THROUGH TONIGHT, I'M GONNA
TELL YOU WHAT THIS MEANS FOR
YOUR TRAVEL PLANS. YOUR MONEY
AND THE ROUTE MOST LIKELY TO
DISAPPEAR.
DELTA UNITED, SOUTHWEST AND
AMERICAN AIRLINES ARE AMONG
THOSE OFFERING CUSTOMERS
FLEXIBILITY TO CHANGE. CANCEL
A REFUND FLIGHTS.
>> EVEN PASSENGERS WHO BOOKED
HIGHLY RESTRICTIVE BASIC
ECONOMY CAN DO SO WITHOUT
PENALTY. IF YOU CAN CANCEL YOUR
TRIP, CONSIDER DOING SO IT WILL
SAVE YOU A HEADACHE. BUT IF YOU
MUST FLY FOR WEDDING, A FUNERAL
OR ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT EVENT
>> FRONTIER AIRLINES CEO
RECOMMENDING CUSTOMERS BY A
BACKUP FLIGHT. ANOTHER CARRIER
THAT DEPARTS AFTER THE FIRST
TAKE IT THAT WAY. YOU'LL HAVE
AN IMMEDIATE BACKUP. YOU CAN
ALSO CONSIDER DRIVING OR TAKING
THE TRAIN 2 PIECES OF GOOD NEWS
AIRLINES ARE EXPECTED TO LEAVE
MOST INTERNATIONAL ROUTES ALONE
AND THEY'RE NOT LIKELY TO CUT
THE MAJOR HUB TO HUB FLIGHTS.
>> THINK UNITED SNOO WORK TO
SAN FRANCISCO BECAUSE THOSE ARE
CONSISTENTLY FULL AND
PROFITABLE. BUT THE SMALLER
REGIONAL ROUTES, THOSE ARE THE
ONES MOST AT RISK OF BEING
REDUCED OR ELIMINATED. WRAL.
5 ON YOUR SIDE SPENT THE DAY
PRESSING EVERY AIRLINE THAT
FLIES OUT OF RDU FOR CLEAR
ANSWERS ON THEIR REFUND
POLICIES. WHEN CANCELLATIONS
OR DELAYS HAPPEN BECAUSE OF
THE SHUTDOWN. WE HAVE THE LIST
OF RESPONSES UP ON OUR WEBSITE.
JUST SEARCH WRAL DOT COM SLASH
5 ON YOUR SIDE.
>> KEELY, ANOTHER QUESTION, OF
COURSE, WILL PRICES GO UP
BECAUSE OF THIS?
YES, THEY PROBABLY WILL.
BECAUSE OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND
WHEN FLIGHTS GET CANCELED AND
SEATS BECOME LIMITED, AIRLINES
CAN LEGALLY CHARGE MORE FOR THE
SEATS THAT ARE LEFT. SO IF
YOU'RE BOOKING FOR THANKSGIVING
AND YOU HAVEN'T YET.
>> WE'RE GETTING VERY CLOSE TO
THAT. FLIGHTS ARE GOING TO GO
UP ANYWAY. BOOK NOW CHRISTMAS.
WE MIGHT HAVE SOME MORE WIGGLE