Travelers react to potential delays at Charlotte Douglas

Charlotte Douglas International Airport is among a group of the busiest airports in the U.S. that will face a 10% reduction in air traffic starting Friday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The reduction comes after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s announcement on Wednesday afternoon, citing the shortage of air traffic controllers who remain without pay during the record-breaking shutdown.

Charlotte Douglas officials said on Thursday that they had not received specific information about the reduction, and the airlines would notify flyers of changes.

Mary Gelpi was visiting Charlotte from New Orleans and said, despite a smooth travel day, she’s not sure if it will be the same next week.

"Yeah, we're anxious for sure. We flew out of Miami originally here," Gelpi said. "It was crazy in Miami, so flying back next Monday before the holiday on Tuesday, it's, we're, again, we're trying to be optimistic, but we're gonna see what happens."

Barbra Smith, who was traveling from Maryland, said the potential of delays and cancellations makes her worry.

"I have to fly home Sunday back to Maryland," Smith said. "And if flights are canceled because, you know, Baltimore and Charlotte are busy airports, my husband may just drive down, pick me up, turn around, and we head back. So we're watching, we're cautious, but no, I want to visit my daughter, my grandson, and I'll do whatever it takes to do that."

At Charlotte Douglas, American Airlines operates most of the daily flights. American said it expects a majority of its customers to be unaffected. Airline officials said if customers are impacted, they will reach out with more information.