Worried your flight at Logan Airport might be canceled? Here's some advice from travel experts.
With flights canceled daily at Logan Airport in Boston because of the government shutdown, passengers are worried things won't be back to normal in time for the busy Thanksgiving holiday.
The FAA ordered domestic airlines last week to cut 4% of their flights at 40 major U.S. airports, including Logan, due to staffing issues with air traffic controllers that are putting stress on the system. This week, flight cuts rose to to 6% Tuesday and will go to 10% on Friday. There were more than 85 cancellations at Logan Tuesday, according to FlightAware.
Have a backup plan
So what do you do if you have a flight coming up? Experts say have a backup plan.
"This is pretty uncharted territory. We really haven't seen anything quite like this, with big question marks about air travel right as we are approaching the busiest travel time of the year. There's been advice to consider booking a second flight, a refundable policy, so that way if your original flight doesn't work out you'd be able to cancel," said AAA Northeast spokesperson Mark Schieldrop.
Rent a car
Renting a car might be an option, but not for long.
"Car rentals are up. They're going up pretty big. Hertz, over the past weekend, indicated that one-way bookings on their end were up 20-percent," said Schieldrop.
Maddi Bourgerie, a spokesperson for RVshare, an online marketplace for RVs, said they've been getting more calls during the shutdown.
"A lot of people are shifting towards road travel," she said. "We're seeing a lot of people look at car rentals and RV rentals."
Direct flights and insurance
Bourgerie also said if you have to fly, consider booking direct flights and purchasing travel insurance.
Massport also urges travelers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.