FAA budget cuts

The pain Americans are facing at airports across the country is expected to get worse this week if Congress is unable to reach a deal to reopen the federal government. At Birmingham/Shuttlesworth International Airport, passengers faced sixteen (updated) flight cancellations today, following a weekend of similar frustrations, according to the website FlightAware.

Birmingham/Shuttlesworth International Airport is on track to equal or surpass Saturday’s cancellations as the federal shutdown drags on. U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,500 weekend flights by Saturday evening. This morning, the website FlightAware said Birmingham’s airport saw seventeen cancellations (updated) Sunday morning, after fifteen flights were called off on Saturday. Three flights were cancelled on Friday, and none on Thursday.

U.S. airlines began canceling hundreds of flights Thursday due to the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to reduce traffic at the country’s busiest airports starting Friday because of the government shutdown. That appears to include Birmingham/Shuttlesworth International Airport, but not at the rates seen in larger airline hubs.

The Federal Aviation Administration has announced dates it plans to cut funding to 149 contract air traffic control towers — including two in Alabama.…

City and county officials are working to determine what they can do to try keeping the control tower at the Dothan Regional Airport open. Dothan Mayor…