Air travelers lean on back up plans to avoid flight fumbles

CHARLOTTE, NC – An end to the longest government shutdown in history is now in sight but the FAA is still ordering airlines to cut 10% of flights.

The uncertainty has more travelers taking their trips from the skies to the ground leaning on back up plans like driving to their destinations.

Rental car company Hertz has reported a 20% spike in one-way rentals. Going into the shutdown, the air traffic control system was already down more than 3,000 workers.

“The longer this goes on, some people have just decided to retire,” Anthony Schifano, President of NATCA CLT said. “We saw an increase in retirement rate nationwide versus what it was doing a month or two ago.”

Schifano says he expects the system to bounce back to normal operations soon after the shutdown ends.

“We’ve been moving the airplanes through the system, yes there have been delays but air traffic controllers are coming to work and the system is moving,” Schifano said. “I foresee us getting paid relatively quickly when this ends and hopefully getting the system up and running by thanksgiving should be no issue at all.”

Last year more than a million passengers flew in and out of CLT between November 21st and December 2nd. With the busy holiday travel period weeks away, some passengers we spoke to are already reconsidering their plans.

If the shutdown drags on some federal officials have hinted that the FAA will order airlines to double flight cuts up to 20%.