FAA-mandated flight cancellations to worsen next week if shutdown continues

More than 5,000 U.S. flights were delayed on Saturday due to air traffic controller shortages, and the country’s airlines will have to cut hundreds more flights next week if Congress can’t come to a solution to end the government shutdown — now the longest in U.S. history.

Trump administration officials this week ordered airlines to start cutting flights at 40 busy U.S. airports on Friday, blaming “increased reports of strain on the system from both pilots and air traffic controllers” in large part due to the shutdown.

Late Friday, Senate Republicans rejected a Democrat proposal to reopen the government.

Air traffic controllers, along with airport security screeners, are required to work during the shutdown without receiving their regular paychecks. Federal workers will miss their second full paycheck on Monday, according to their union. Some controllers have taken second jobs to make ends meet, union officials have said.

Close to 1,650 U.S. flights were canceled on Saturday as of 5:30 p.m. ET, about half that number previously announced by the airlines that had 21,748 scheduled for the day. That share of cancellations was on par with severe thunderstorms, which can be disruptive, though they’re routine. Cirium said Friday ranked as the 72nd worst for cancellations since Jan. 1, 2024.

Under the FAA’s order, the flight cuts will increase to 6% of schedules, 8% by Thursday and 10% next Friday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News on Friday that cuts could eventually reach up to 20% of schedules, although he didn’t elaborate. Airlines weren’t required to cut international flights.

The disruptions are occurring at a generally low travel season, but the key Thanksgiving holiday weekend is less than three weeks away. The impact for airlines could quadruple given how fares during that high-demand period spike, Seaport Research Partners airline analyst Daniel McKenzie said in a note on Friday.

Airlines this week waived date-change fees for travelers on affected flights and noted they can also request a refund. Airline executives stated that many customers were being rebooked on alternative flights, while last-minute changes sent others scrambling for other arrangements. Hertz, for example, stated on Thursday that, when the FAA made its flight-cut announcement, one-way car rentals increased by 20% over the same two-day period a year earlier.

Delays rose throughout the day Saturday, with more than 5,400 late U.S. flights, according to FlightAware. Air traffic control staffing shortages prompted delays at airports including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

Here are the airports where the FAA and DOT cuts apply: