Many Calif. flights on chopping block at SFO, LAX as shutdown grows

"Already America's most populous state by a wide margin, California is also home to vital airports for millions of monthly domestic and international fliers - including Los Angeles International Airport, which is among the busiest transit hubs on the planet. The Federal Aviation Administration's looming reductions, set to take effect in less than 24 hours, could have significant impacts on commercial flights in and out of San Francisco International Airport, Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, San Diego International Airport, Ontario International Airport and LAX."

"In the hectic lead-up to a looming weekend of fight cancellations and reconfigurations, firm passenger impacts remain hard to come by, though airlines have begun to proactively reach out to travelers to inform them of potential delays and hiccups. "If your flight is canceled, we'll work to give you as much notice as possible," reads one email sent from United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby to customers and obtained by SFGATE, "so you don't show up at the airport expecting to fly.""

"In September, nearly 4 million domestic passengers worked their way through the terminals at LAX, with tens of thousands of plane arrivals and departures across a variety of commercial, private and cargo flights. More than 3 million domestic passengers moved through SFO the same month, while just under 2 million domestic passengers found the tarmac at San Diego's SAN in September. Oakland saw more than 750,000 passengers in the same month."

The Department of Transportation has issued a rapid plan to reduce air traffic by up to 10% at 40 major U.S. airports, prompting imminent federal reductions. California's busiest airports, including Los Angeles International, San Francisco International, Oakland, San Diego, and Ontario, face significant operational impacts and potential cancellations. The administration has not released a full list of affected airports or targeted routes. Airlines have begun notifying passengers about possible delays and cancellations and are preparing rebooking and notification processes. September passenger volumes at major California airports numbered in the millions, indicating that even modest cuts could disrupt large numbers of travelers.

Read at SFGATE