U.S. air travel is set for major disruption as the Federal Aviation Administration will cut 10% of flights across 40 high-volume markets starting Friday. This is the result of the prolonged government shutdown. Major hubs, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Miami, Orlando, and San Francisco will be affected. With some of these cities seeing reductions at multiple airports.
The FAA says the cuts are necessary because air traffic controllers, working unpaid since October 1, are facing mounting strain and rising absenteeism. Many already missed one paycheck and are set to miss another next week. Controller shortages have already caused delays, and the FAA warns it cannot maintain safety without reducing traffic.
Airlines expect hundreds or even thousands of flights to be canceled, with analytics firm Cirium estimating up to 1,800 flights and 268,000 seats could be cut. Major carriers like United and Delta say they will try to absorb the impact by reducing regional routes and will offer refunds even on normally nonrefundable tickets. Passenger notifications will begin Thursday.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford called the situation unprecedented in his 35 years in aviation. Even if the shutdown ends immediately, normal operations would not resume until staffing stabilizes.
Travel groups and aviation unions continue to pressure Congress to end the shutdown, calling the disruptions avoidable and damaging. Recent staffing data shows severe strain. During the last weekend alone, 39 facilities reported potential staffing shortages which is far above pre-shutdown averages.
As the shutdown enters its second month, officials warn that air travel chaos will worsen if controllers continue missing paychecks.
Reference
Funk, J., & Yamat, R. (2025, November 6). 40 US airports set for flight cuts identified | AP News. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-reduced-flights-a082a6817d960101968a923f7dfd8ef0?user_email=bd2c428b35d2f2d999bc6f7e665bad1355a8dd3247b2afc8121729c30cd9a01a&utm_medium=Morning_Wire&utm_source=Sailthru_AP&utm_campaign=Sid%20Morning%20Wire%20Nov.%206&utm_term=Morning%20Wire%20Subscribers