More than 1,100 flights across the United States were canceled on Saturday, with over 5,000 others delayed, as the ongoing federal government shutdown forces the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to scale back air traffic capacity at major airports.
The FAA announced earlier this week that it would reduce air travel operations by up to 10 percent at 40 of the country’s busiest airports. The decision follows increasing reports of fatigue among air traffic controllers, who are continuing to work without pay during the shutdown. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford described the move as a proactive effort to maintain safety in American airspace.
The shutdown, now in its 40th day as of Sunday November 9, has become the longest in US history, surpassing the previous record of 35 days set during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2018 and 2019. Lawmakers remain at a political stalemate over a funding agreement to reopen government agencies, with Senate Republicans rejecting a Democratic proposal on Saturday to end the shutdown in exchange for a one year extension of government funding.
The shutdown began on October 1 after opposing sides in the US Senate failed to agree on spending priorities, with Republicans rejecting a push by Democrats to protect healthcare and other social programs, specifically the expiring subsidies for health insurance premiums purchased on the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
Airlines and passengers are feeling significant impact from the disruptions. American Airlines issued a statement urging Congress to reach an immediate resolution as travel disruptions spread nationwide. American Airlines announced that the 4 percent reduction would mean 220 canceled flights per day through Monday, with the vast majority of impacted flights being regional services and no impact to international flights including Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean.
Newark Liberty International Airport recorded some of the worst delays on Saturday, with inbound flights facing wait times of more than five hours. Ground stops were temporarily issued at Chicago O’Hare, LaGuardia, and Nashville International Airports on Saturday due to staffing shortages. Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, John F. Kennedy International, and George Bush Intercontinental in Houston also experienced significant delays.
United Airlines, which operates 4,500 flights daily, canceled 184 flights Friday, 168 flights Saturday, 158 for Sunday and 190 for Monday. Delta Air Lines scratched roughly 170 flights Friday while Southwest Airlines cut about 120 flights. The airlines focused their cuts on smaller regional routes to airports where they have multiple flights a day, helping minimize the number of passengers impacted.
The FAA said the reductions would start at 4 percent and ramp up to 10 percent by November 14. They are to be in effect between 6 am and 10 pm and impact all commercial airlines. The order will increase to 6 percent of schedules by November 11, 8 percent by November 13, and up to 10 percent by November 14. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated that cuts could eventually reach up to 20 percent of schedules if the shutdown continues, though he did not elaborate on timing.
The disruption comes approximately two weeks before the busy Thanksgiving travel period. One air traffic controller warned that the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday season could see the worst day of travel in the history of flight if the shutdown does not end soon.
FAA officials said private jets are also being redirected to smaller airfields to reduce congestion and allow commercial aviation to operate more safely. The agency said it will also prohibit some visual flight rule approaches at facilities with staffing triggers, limit commercial space launches to non peak hours, and prohibit parachute operations and photo missions near facilities with staffing triggers.
Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents are classified as essential workers and are required to report to work without pay. Controllers are pulling six day work weeks with mandatory overtime, and increasing numbers have begun calling out as the financial strain and exhaustion mount. Unions say many are exhausted, calling out sick, or seeking secondary employment to cover basic expenses.
By day 20 of the shutdown, approximately 750,000 federal workers were furloughed daily without pay, while 1.4 million essential workers continued working without paychecks. Federal employees missed their first full paycheck on October 17. During the 2018 to 2019 shutdown, as many as 10 percent of TSA workers stayed home rather than work without pay, and similar patterns are emerging again, adding further pressure to airport operations.
Acting TSA Administrator Adam Stahl told reporters Thursday that as the shutdown persists, there will continue to be significant impact on wait times amid officer callouts. He advised travelers to arrive two to three hours early at checkpoints, noting that some airports like Houston, Los Angeles International and Orlando may experience even longer wait times.
Airlines are required to issue full refunds to customers whose flights are canceled but are not required to cover secondary costs such as food and hotel accommodations unless a delay or cancellation results from a contributing factor within the control of the airlines, according to the Department of Transportation. All major carriers are offering waivers to allow passengers who do not want to fly to change their tickets without fees during the affected travel period.
Industry analyst Henry Harteveldt warned that the reductions will have a noticeable impact across the US. Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle recommended on social media that passengers flying in the next ten days who need to be certain of arrival should book backup tickets on different carriers, warning that chances of being stranded are high if flights are canceled.
The 40 high impact airports include major cities such as Chicago, the New York Area, Washington DC, Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth, Denver, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Houston, San Francisco, and others spanning more than two dozen states. In some metropolitan areas including New York, Houston, Chicago and Washington, multiple airports are affected, while ripple effects could reach smaller airports as well.
Nationwide car rental bookings saw significant increases as travelers sought alternatives. Hertz stated that when the FAA made its flight cut announcement, one way car rentals increased by 20 percent over the same two day period a year earlier. Another car sharing company reported a 30 percent year over year jump in Friday bookings and a 44 percent search volume increase in key markets impacted by the shutdown.
The financial impact of the disruptions is not immediately clear. Airlines could see increased unit revenue with customers competing for fewer seats, but analysts believe the prolonged shutdown and widespread cancellations will impact booking demand in the near term. By October 31, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the shutdown had caused an estimated 7 billion dollars loss of output from the economy.
The cuts come during a generally low demand period for travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, but the timing means disruptions could quadruple given how fares during that high demand period typically spike, according to airline industry analysts.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced Saturday plans to bring legislation for a vote that would provide short term funding until a yet to be determined date in January, with certain government programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Veterans Affairs funded for the full fiscal year. The Senate is scheduled to convene in a rare Sunday session as it continues attempting to chart a path out of the crisis, though as of Sunday morning no votes were scheduled.
