Unprecedented Cuts Begin Friday at 40 Major Airports
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to reduce flight schedules beginning November 7, citing safety concerns during the ongoing government shutdown that has stretched to 37 days. The FAA plans to increase flight cuts from 4% on Friday to 6% on Tuesday, then 8% on Thursday, and finally 10% by next Friday if officials fail to reach a shutdown deal.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a 10% capacity reduction at 40 locations. He said the goal is to identify pressure points and find ways to ease them. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford added that he has never witnessed such a move in his 35-year career, calling it unprecedented.
Critical Air Traffic Controller Staffing Crisis
The government shutdown, which began on October 1, has left many federal employees without pay. Air traffic controllers and TSA screeners continue to work without compensation. Since the shutdown started, the FAA has reported over 400 staffing shortages—more than four times higher than the same period last year.
“Controllers are resigning every day now because of the prolonged nature of the shutdown,” said Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Bedford acknowledged that controllers have been “working fastidiously for the last five weeks with this huge burden over their head of lack of compensation, and we are starting to see some evidence that that fatigue is building in the system”
Affected Airports and Flight Cancellations
The list of airports includes New York City’s three major hubs—LaGuardia, John F. The affected airports include major hubs such as New York’s Kennedy International and Newark Liberty International. Others on the list are Boston Logan, Philadelphia International, Chicago O’Hare, Chicago Midway, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Indianapolis International, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, and Louisville International.
According to FAA data, the top 40 airports in 2024 each handled more than 5 million passengers, with Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson leading with 52.5 million, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth with 42.3 million and Denver International with 40 million. A 10 percent reduction in flights as mandated by the FAA could result in thousands of canceled flights a day.
Southwest Airlines plans to cancel around 100 flights on Friday and has urged Congress to immediately resolve the impasse. American Airlines will cancel about 220 flights daily to meet the 4% reduction target. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told employees that the cuts will mainly affect regional and domestic flights not operating between hubs, while long-haul international and hub-to-hub routes will continue as normal.
Airlines Offer Waivers as Chaos Mounts
American, Delta, Southwest, United, and Frontier are offering waivers so passengers can change tickets without paying extra fees. Airlines must refund passengers for canceled flights. However, they are not responsible for additional expenses such as hotel stays. The FAA confirmed this is standard procedure when the airline is not at fault for delays or cancellations.
Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle warned passengers about possible disruptions in the coming days. In an Instagram post, he advised travelers flying within the next ten days to book a backup ticket on another carrier. Biffle also recommended avoiding basic tickets and enabling notifications through airline apps to stay updated on schedule changes.
Historic Shutdown Enters Second Month
The ongoing government shutdown, which began on October 1, 2025, under President Donald Trump’s second term, has now stretched to 37 days, making it the longest in U.S. history, surpassing the previous record set during Trump’s first term in 2018-2019, which lasted 35 days. The shutdown has halted SNAP benefits, delayed air travel, and left 1.4 million federal employees unpaid.
The airlines were notified of the plan only about an hour before it was announced. The drawdown is restricted to 40 high-volume traffic markets, with the FAA asking airlines to work collaboratively to reduce their schedules. National Transportation Safety Board Chairperson Jennifer Homendy posted that the drawdown is “the right thing to do,” adding that “pressures are building in the system”.
Weekend Delays Preview Coming Disruptions
Flight delays and cancellations have already mounted this week, with Hartsfield-Jackson reporting 762 delays and 20 cancellations, Dallas-Fort Worth logging 825 delays and six cancellations, and Denver seeing 594 delays and 12 cancellations. More than 5,000 flights traveling from and to U.S. airports were delayed on Sunday alone, and the Transportation Security Administration said it screened nearly 2.7 million people around the country.
Jeff Guzzetti, an aircraft accident investigator who has worked for both the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA, said the federal government has never slashed flight capacity across the country like this before. He warned that slashing flights “will reduce potential risk of an overworked controller making a mistake,” but added that this “is going to cost the airlines, and commerce, a lot of money and will cause massive inconvenience to the traveling public.”
Safety Remains Top Priority Despite Political Pressure
When asked if the reduced traffic would continue if the shutdown ended tomorrow, Bedford said, “We’ll want to see controller performance return to the levels we had before the shutdown.”
Both Bedford and Duffy emphasized that the flight cuts are a proactive step. The decision is based on departmental data and the staffing pressures expected to increase during the shutdown.
Bedford stated: “We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating”. The FAA administrator made clear that additional measures may be taken if pressures continue, signaling that the 10 percent reduction may not be the final action needed to maintain aviation safety during this crisis.
Economic Impact and Travel Disruption
The cuts are taking effect just ahead of Thanksgiving, one of the busiest air travel periods of the year. The reductions are to be in effect between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and impact all commercial airlines. Industry analysts warn that the ripple effects will extend beyond the 40 designated airports, affecting smaller regional airports that depend on connections through major hubs.
The unprecedented nature of this crisis has left millions of travelers scrambling to adjust plans, with experts recommending extreme flexibility and contingency planning. As the shutdown enters its sixth week with no resolution in sight, the aviation industry faces its most significant operational challenge since the pandemic-era travel restrictions that paralyzed air travel in 2020.