More than 1,600 flights have been canceled nationwide on Monday, including more than 300 in the New York area, as the government shutdown continues despite senators reaching a deal Sunday night.
Nearly 150 flights out of LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark airports were canceled Monday morning, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. LaGuardia was hit the hardest, with 64 departing cancellations, 11% of the total schedule.
Meanwhile, more than 150 inbound flights to the three major New York-area airports were also canceled. LaGuardia was also dealing with the worst impacts on arriving flights, with 62 already canceled before noon.
LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark were all on the list of 40 major airports that have seen flights reduced by the Federal Aviation Administration since Friday. The cancellations were due to short-staffed air traffic control centers, whose employees have gone unpaid since the government shutdown began on Oct. 1.
Republican and Democratic senators reached a deal to end the shutdown late Sunday night, but the House must still vote on the bill, and the slow procedural process of reopening the government means flight issues could continue throughout the week.
On Sunday, more than 2,900 flights were canceled nationwide, including 413 in and out of Newark, 325 in and out of LaGuardia and 126 in and out of Kennedy.
In addition to the FAA-mandated cuts, air travel was heavily affected Monday by a snowstorm that hit Chicago, canceling and delaying hundreds of flights at O’Hare International, along with dozens of flights at the city’s smaller Midway airport.
