ATLANTA — With the FAA’s announcement that they will be reducing 10% of flights from 40 different airports across the country, we learned that there were only nine cancellations at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Thursday.
But heading into the weekend, that number is going to change drastically.
ABC News obtained the list of all the airports that will be impacted by the reduction, and Atlanta’s is on that list.
Channel 2’s Justin Gray found out that the 10% reduction translates to right around 1,800 flights that could be affected here in Atlanta.
Former air traffic controller Colin Scoggins told us where he expects the biggest impacts.
“I think the places with the two largest hubs, Atlanta and Chicago, that’d be United and Delta Airlines, I believe, are going to be probably impacted the most, but I think all airlines will obviously be affected,” Scoggins said.
According to Flight Aware, early Thursday evening, cancellations at Hartsfield-Jackson were already at about 60, and that number is expected to grow.
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If you have a flight coming up in the next few days, it’s important to make sure the airline you’re traveling with has up-to-date, contact information for you.
You should also download the airline’s app that way you will get alerts about the status of your flight.
Channel 2 consumer adviser Clark Howard was traveling on Thursday and said he was already getting updates for later this week.
“There’s no formal period of notice that’s required. And I’m flying Saturday out of Philadelphia. And I’ve already gotten a notice from the airline saying, ‘We don’t know yet if your flight’s going to operate.’ So, they didn’t say it’s not going to be operating. But they gave me fair warning, it might not,” Howard said.
It’s important to note that while airlines are required to refund your flight, they are not required to provide compensation.
If they offer it, you can negotiate.
Hotels, cruises, and car rentals many times are often non-refundable, and could leave them on the hook for thousands.
That’s why having travel insurance is important, especially if you’re using money to buy those things you can’t afford to lose.
Howard said, depending on how much you spent on the trip, consider the “cancel for any reason” option. It will cost more, but it gives you the most flexibility.
Remember, though, “cancel for any reason” policies do not refund 100% of the trip. Instead, you can expect to get 50% to 80% back.
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