AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
The Federal Aviation Administration says it will cut down flights by 10% across the U.S. as the government shutdown crept into its fifth week. It says the reason is safety. Fewer air traffic controllers are reporting for duty. Mechanical problems and weather aren't helping either. So what can you do to minimize travel headaches now and with the holidays coming up? Suzanne Rowan Kelleher covers travel for Forbes and joins us now. Good morning.
SUZANNE ROWAN KELLEHER: Good morning. Thank you for having me.
RASCOE: So over a thousand flights have already been canceled. What's your No. 1 tip for minimizing the odds of hitting flight delays?
KELLEHER: I think it's - until this shutdown ends, frankly, it's going to be incredibly messy. I've talked to aviation experts who have just said, look, if you can drive in eight hours or less, drive. And I just saw a notification from Hertz. Hertz's CEO just said that they are seeing a huge uptick in people wanting to rent cars in a one-way direction, so that tells you that a lot of people are making that choice. If you have to fly, I would say the most important thing is getting to the airport early. And also, if at all possible, get on that very first flight because these disruptions tend to really amplify the longer the day goes on.
RASCOE: So you're saying the main piece of advice is, get there early and fly very early in the morning. Is that the...
KELLEHER: Right.
RASCOE: ...Best time of the day?
KELLEHER: Oh, yeah. First, if you can - nobody wants to be on that, you know, 6 a.m. flight. But they show that - statistics show, and this is true anytime, like, even if there was, like, a winter storm, if a - you know, any kind of travel where you have to get there and you don't want a delay, the flight cancellations and delays really start to amplify. And they kind of creep up like a domino effect as the - as morning turns into afternoon and then afternoon turns into evening.
RASCOE: Well, now, in a piece you wrote last week, you recommended that people get to the airport super early. Now, when you say early, how early? And why?
KELLEHER: Well, there's a couple of things going on. Early as possible. Like, if you can get there at 7 o'clock - you know, if you can book that 7 a.m. flight, do that. I know it's very inconvenient, but you have - you're reducing your risk of a disruption by - you know, exponentially.
RASCOE: And should we get - do - should we - if we make the 7 a.m. flight, should we be there, like, two hours ahead of time? Like, does it matter when you arrive at the airport?
KELLEHER: It does during the shutdown. In the morning, things tend to be a little bit quieter. But TSA - remember, the TSA workers are also not getting paid during the shutdown, and they're seeing a lot of sick calls and people not coming into work as well. And though - you know, last week, Houston, I think - Houston had to shut down all - 3 of the 5 airport security lines. And, you know, other airports have had to do that too. So, you know, I think what - and obviously, when that happens, every other line gets a lot longer. So if you don't get there early enough, you risk maybe missing your flight.
RASCOE: So, I mean, all of these travel disruptions are happening before the holidays are here. How bad do you think things will get closer to Thanksgiving week?
KELLEHER: I mean, it all depends what happens with the shutdown. If it ends, even if it ends before Thanksgiving, there's still going to be kind of a hangover from this because the aviation system can't just flip a switch and everything go back, you know, kind of to normal. So it - you know, I do anticipate that there's going to be some disruption even going into Thanksgiving, but hopefully not as bad as what we're seeing right now.
RASCOE: That's Forbes reporter Suzanne Rowan Kelleher. Thank you so much for joining us.
KELLEHER: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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