Have a flight from US in November? Govt shutdown may affect your travel plans. Here’s what to do if you have booked your tickets

As the US government shutdown still getting dragged on, millions of Americans, who were expected to fly this month, could face problems. From Friday (Nov 7), the Trump administration will reduce the flights at 40 airports across the US - if the government shutdown continues.

A preliminary list has been prepared that mentions sites expected to be impacted. The Federal Aviation Administration’s “Core 30” airports are among cities on the list, CNN reported.

Which 40 airports will be impacted?

The airports include: New York City’s three major hubs and large airports in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix, Seattle, and Washington, DC, as per CNN.

"As we start to implement this drawdown in service, it will be restricted to these 40 high volume traffic markets," FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said.

"We’re going to ask the airlines to work with us collaboratively to reduce their schedules," he added.

Traffic at the airports affected by this move will decrease by 10 per cent. “We are working with the federal government to understand all details of the new reduction mandate and will strive to mitigate impacts to passengers and shippers,” Airlines for America, the industry trade group, said in a statement.

What if you already have a plan?

Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle posted on Instagram, “If you are flying Friday or in the next ten days and need to be there or don’t want to be stranded, I highly recommend booking a backup ticket on another carrier."

He told the passengers not to book a basic ticket. "For example, book Economy on Frontier so you can reuse the ticket value as changes are free or you can get a credit,” Biffle wrote.

“If your flight is cancelled your chances of being stranded are high so I would simply have a backup ticket on another airline," he added.

Why is this happening?

This is the result of the US government shutdown, which has prevented many federal employees from getting paid since it began on October 1.