The government shutdown has come for the preferred mode of transportation for media moguls and the celebrity class: Private jets.
While the Senate made moves late Sunday night to begin the process of ending the shutdown, which has now stretched beyond 40 days, staffing shortages among currently unpaid air traffic controllers have forced the FAA to place limits on flights to as not to overburden the airspace.
Last week that meant initiating a 10 percent reduction in flights at airports across the country. As of Monday, that order now effectively shut down private jet travel at some of the most important airports in the country, according to the national Business Aviation Association, a trade group that represents the private aircraft industry.
“Last week, restrictions were announced on all aviation operations, including general aviation operations, at 40 U.S. airports,” NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said in a statement. “Today, further restrictions were announced that will effectively prohibit business aviation operations at 12 of those airports, disproportionately impacting general aviation, an industry that creates more than a million jobs, generates $340 billion in economic impact and supports humanitarian flights every day.”
The 12 impacted airports include a number of hubs for the entertainment industry, including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX); John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK); Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR); and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL); as well as major airports like Chicago O’Hare, Dallas Fort Worth, Boston Logan, Seattle Tacoma, Reagan National and others.
Tha FAA said that exceptions could be made for “emergency, medical, law-enforcement, firefighting, military operations” or others, but don’t bet on “I’m going to miss the start of principal photography” being one of them.
For media moguls, tech titans, musicians, actors and other powerful people, private jets are the preferred mode of travel across the country, and eliminating their access to major airports could impact productions or other major events (the Latin Grammys are set to be held in Las Vegas this week, for example, though the Vegas airport is not impacted by the private jet ban, for now).
Of course, private jet flyers may have other options: While JFK and Newark are off-limits, New York’s LaGuardia is still available (despite the previously announced reduction in flights), as is Teterboro in New Jersey or Westchester airport north of the city.
And while LAX will be PJ-free for a bit, Burbank, John Wayne airport and Long Beach airport can still handle the business jets, for now, though the NBAA warned its members that any of the other 40 FAA-identified airports could be restricted at any time. That extended list includes airports like LaGuardia and Teterboro.
Still, the best hope for the Hollywood elite is that the shutdown ends sooner, rather than later. Otherwise they will have to fly (shudder) commercial on the way to their next film shoot.
