No Impacts “Yet” At Pangborn Airport Due To Govt. Shutdown

It appears there have been no ill effects, as of yet at least, at Pangborn Memorial Airport near East Wenatchee due to the now record-breaking 36-day shutdown of the federal government.

"We haven't felt any impacts so far," says Bobbie Chatriand, Administrative Assistant for the airport's managers at the Chelan-Douglas Regional Port Authority. "But we do only have two flights a day, so there is that to consider."

In addition to the nominal number of daily arrivals and departures at the small aerodrome, Pangborn's operations have also been insulated from any shutdown troubles due to its lack of on-site air traffic controllers, since these functions are handled remotely through the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Center in Auburn.

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Many larger airports across the nation have been experiencing issues since the shutdown began and especially as it has become more protracted, particularly with any federally-paid employees in critical positions like air traffic control who are not currently getting paid and calling out "sick" in droves so they might take other jobs.

While this week's announcement by the FAA that it has ordered a 10% reduction in flights across the board at 40 major airports throughout the U.S. on Friday (Nov. 7) has many operators fearing the worst, Chatriand is less concerned about what it will mean at Pangborn.

"Knock on wood! We haven't had any problems yet and we're all hoping that tomorrow won't be any different."

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is among the airports that have been listed by the FAA for Friday's flight reductions.

In all, the mandate is expected to impact between 3,500 and 4,000 flights at U.S. airports and will likely create unexpected cancellations and lengthy delays for travelers, who are being urged by the FAA to postpone all air travel unless it's absolutely necessary.

People who already have airline reservations for Friday and still intend to fly are being strongly encouraged to check the status of their flight directly with the carrier for the most up-to-date information.