AllHipHop

50 Cent Exposes Airport Nightmare As Holiday Travelers Face Massive Delays

50 Cent
By: Mike Winslow Updated Category: News
Preferred Source Publisher Button>

50 Cent documented his travel nightmare on Instagram as the government shutdown created nationwide flight chaos.

50 Cent found himself caught in the middle of America’s travel nightmare as the ongoing government shutdown continues to wreak havoc on airports nationwide.

The Hip-Hop mogul took to Instagram to document his frustrating experience and issue a stark warning to fellow travelers. The “In Da Club” rapper was aboard his private aircraft when he learned that even luxury travel couldn’t escape the chaos.

View this post on Instagram

In one Instagram video, Jackson stated, “They just said that they not even letting the jets go.” The entrepreneur described the situation as a “bad travel day” while capturing the reality of grounded flights across the country.

In another post, he wrote, “Man the airport is f##### up, forget about traveling right now! Unless you driving…”

The footage showed masses of stranded passengers waiting in airport terminals as delays and cancellations mounted throughout the weekend.

The travel disruption stems from the record-breaking government shutdown, now in its 40th day, which has left approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers working without pay.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced flight capacity reductions of up to 10% at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports, with cancellations potentially escalating to 20% if the shutdown continues. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the situation could severely impact Thanksgiving travel plans.

“Many of them are not going to be able to get on an airplane, because there are not going to be that many flights that fly if this thing doesn’t open back up,” Duffy cautioned during a CNN appearance.

The travel industry has already suffered massive financial losses, with the U.S. Travel Association reporting over $5.4 billion in damages as of November 8. The organization warned that continued shutdown effects during the holiday season would be “economically devastating to communities in every state.”

Air traffic controller absences have reached alarming levels, with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford reporting that 20% to 40% of controllers are absent from work on any given day.

This has resulted in additional flight delays at major hubs, including Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and Newark.

Major airlines have implemented significant flight reductions in response to the crisis. American Airlines canceled approximately 220 flights daily, while United Airlines cut 168 flights and Southwest reduced nearly 100 flights.

More than 1,000 flights within, into, or out of the United States were canceled by Saturday afternoon, according to FlightAware tracking data.

The timing couldn’t be worse for holiday travelers, as Thanksgiving traditionally represents the busiest travel period of the year.

Airlines have begun offering fee waivers for passengers wanting to change their travel dates, while federal regulations entitle travelers to full refunds for canceled or significantly delayed flights.