CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston will be impacted by a 10 percent reduction in scheduled flights during the government shutdown.
The FAA will begin imposing the reduction for the 40 airports beginning Friday.
“All of our direct destinations are on that list,” said CRW director and CEO Dominique Ranieri on MetroNews Midday.
The list includes airports in Charlotte, Atlanta, Newark, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Ranieri says that the 10 percent reduction won’t happen all at once.
“What we’re hearing right now is that the reduction is going to be gradual. It will start with a four percent reduction over the next few days until the achieve 10 percent,” Ranieri said.
Ranieri knows this will likely be an inconvenience for some travelers before the shutdown is over, but she’s asking for patience.
“Pack your patience. Check with your airline before you head to the airport and stay up on our social media as well because we will do our best to update you on what your options are,” she said.
According to Ranieri, travelers buying backup tickets as a proactive step isn’t likely going to help.
“Coming from a regional airport like ours, we have smaller aircrafts. Most likely, these airlines are going to make the decision to prioritize a larger aircraft coming from a different place, so buying backup tickets might not be the best course of action. Give the customer service lines a call to see if they can put you on stand-by for perhaps an earlier flight if you have flexibility in your schedule,” Ranieri said.
While not at CRW, several major airports across the nation have seen hour-long lines for travelers to get through TSA due to staffing shortages. The decision to impose a reduction for 40 airports is what U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called a “proactive” step to help mitigate more potential shortages.
Ranieri says that the federal workers at CRW have shown up throughout the entire shutdown, and her staff is thankful.
“We have been so fortunate. All of our federal employees have gone above and beyond to continue coming to work,” Ranieri said. “We know how difficult that is for them when they are not receiving that paycheck, when they’re still carrying childcare costs and car payments and filling their cars with gas, but we have not had any of the issues that you’re seeing across the country with not enough staff to keep the checkpoint open.”
“Our tower has been staffed, so we’re just so appreciative that that West Virginia work ethic is present in all of our federal employees here at the airport,” she continued.