Mass cancellations of flights in the US are inflicting havoc for travellers after the federal government ordered a discount within the flight schedule resulting from an absence of air site visitors controllers.
The lowered flight schedule, set to start on Friday, comes because the US continues with its longest-ever authorities shutdown, which started on October 1, after Congress was unable to agree on a federal funding invoice.
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On Thursday night time, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) introduced a phased-in discount plan, which units out that airways should reduce 4 % of home flights from 6am EST (11:00 GMT) on Friday and progressively enhance to 10 % by November 14.
Up to now, no worldwide flights have been affected by the deliberate cancellations.
In response to an estimate by the aviation analytics agency Cirium, about 1,800 flights are being cancelled – a discount of 268,000 seats.
Right here’s what we all know in regards to the cancellations:
Why are flights being cancelled within the US?
For the reason that October 1 authorities shutdown, now the longest in historical past, there was no signal of the Republicans and Democrats ending their standoff over healthcare funding and agreeing on a brand new funding invoice. A whole lot of hundreds of federal staff, together with air site visitors controllers, have been furloughed or are working unpaid.
Whereas federal staff have obtained again pay following the top of earlier authorities shutdowns, President Donald Trump has threatened to sack a lot of them altogether if the Democrats don’t conform to log out on the funding invoice.
Up to now, 13,000 air site visitors controllers and 50,000 safety screeners have been required to work with out pay as they’re categorized as important staff, so they won’t obtain fee till the shutdown is lifted.
Nevertheless, in an try and alleviate strain on the already overworked trade, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy introduced the choice to scale back flights now, earlier than the busy Thanksgiving season on the finish of the month.
In a put up on X on Thursday night time, Duffy stated the choice to scale back flights was not about politics however about “assessing the information and assuaging constructing threat within the system as controllers proceed working with out pay”.
.@USDOT has many tasks, however our primary job is security.
This isn’t about politics – it’s about assessing the information and assuaging constructing threat within the system as controllers proceed working with out pay.
It’s secure to fly right now, tomorrow, and the day after as a result of… pic.twitter.com/YRrq5sdy4T
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 7, 2025
“I’d like to pay them, however I can’t,” he added in a later put up.
I don’t have entry to cash to pay air site visitors controllers throughout this shutdown. Congress has stated there is no such thing as a cash. I’d like to pay them, however I can’t.
My message to Democrats is to take a seat down, determine it out, and never maintain the American individuals hostage- particularly once they need to… pic.twitter.com/up2peizyZn
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 6, 2025
Is it secure to fly?
Sure.
“It’s secure to fly right now, tomorrow, and the day after due to the proactive actions we’re taking,” Duffy wrote in a put up accompanying a wider assertion.
The assertion additionally cited FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, who stated the company would “not hesitate to take additional motion” to alleviate strain on staff.
“We’re seeing indicators of stress within the system, so we’re proactively lowering the variety of flights to verify the American individuals can fly,” Bedford stated, including that they had been monitoring the scenario.
It stays unclear how lengthy the cancellations will proceed.
Which airports shall be affected?
Forty of the nation’s busiest airports have cancelled flights, together with:
- Anchorage worldwide, Alaska
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta worldwide, Georgia
- Boston Logan worldwide, Massachusetts
- Baltimore/Washington worldwide, Maryland
- Charlotte Douglas worldwide, North Carolina
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky worldwide, Kentucky
- Dallas Love Subject, Texas
- Ronald Reagan Washington nationwide, Virginia
- Denver worldwide, Colorado
- Dallas/Fort Price worldwide, Texas
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County, Michigan
- Newark Liberty worldwide, New Jersey
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood worldwide, Florida
- Honolulu worldwide, Hawaii
- Houston Passion, Texas
- Washington Dulles worldwide, Virginia
- George Bush Houston intercontinental, Texas
- Indianapolis worldwide, Indiana
- John F Kennedy worldwide, New York
- Harry Reid worldwide, Las Vegas
- Los Angeles worldwide, California
- LaGuardia, New York
- Orlando worldwide, Florida
- Chicago Halfway worldwide, Illinois
- Memphis worldwide, Tennessee
- Miami worldwide, Florida
- Minneapolis/St Paul worldwide, Minnesota
- Oakland worldwide, California
- Ontario worldwide, California
- Chicago O`Hare worldwide, Illinois
- Portland worldwide, Oregon
- Philadelphia worldwide, Pennsylvania
- Phoenix Sky Harbour worldwide, Arizona
- San Diego worldwide, California
- Louisville worldwide, Kentucky
- Seattle/Tacoma worldwide, Washington
- San Francisco worldwide, California
- Salt Lake Metropolis worldwide, Utah
- Teterboro, New Jersey
- Tampa worldwide, Florida
When was the final time this occurred?
The final authorities shutdown in January 2019, throughout Trump’s first time period as president, lasted for 35 days.
On that event, journey was quickly suspended at New York’s LaGuardia airport when a number of air site visitors staff who had been required to work with out pay failed to show up, calling in sick as an alternative. The journey suspension at LaGuardia led to delays at different main airports, together with in Philadelphia and Atlanta.
This motion, together with different staffing points, prompted Trump to conform to quickly finish the shutdown. The federal government shutdown formally resulted in February.
Which flights are cancelled and what can travellers do?
Worldwide flights won’t be cancelled.
It’s unclear precisely which home flights are affected, nonetheless. Katy Nastro, a journey analyst at Going, the flight-finder web site, informed ABC Information that “much less full flights to smaller cities, or flights with extra restricted schedules to start with, are more than likely on the chopping block”.
Alaska Airways stated most cancellations will have an effect on high-frequency routes, to permit travellers to be accommodated with minimal disruption.
The Division of Transportation stated airways could be required to situation full refunds to travellers whose flights had been cancelled, however secondary prices, together with meals and lodge lodging, wouldn’t be lined until a delay or cancellation was inside the management of the provider.
The CEO of Frontier Airways, Barry Biffle, advisable that travellers purchase backup tickets with one other airline to keep away from being stranded or lacking a necessary journey if the flight will get cancelled.
Who’s the worst affected?
Todd Curtis, founding father of Airsafe, an aviation security web site, informed Al Jazeera that the shutdown was having a major impression on staff.
“If there’s not sufficient workers, there’s procedures in place. What’s a extra vital situation, and this was handed out by the secretary of transportation, is fatigue due to staffing points. Controllers have been requested to work six-day [work]weeks [with] necessary time beyond regulation. Even beneath the perfect of circumstances, this can be a tough job,” Curtis defined.
Travellers going through disruption voiced anger in regards to the cancellations.
At Reagan nationwide airport in Arlington, Virginia, Sandy Humes, a passenger, informed Al Jazeera that she nearly cancelled her journey as a result of airline cancellations.
“I don’t even know what’s gonna occur, [but] then I simply determined, all proper, we’re simply gonna go for it and see what occurs. But it surely’s simply surprising. I’m simply sick of it. It’s like, what about us?” Humes stated.
On the similar airport, Vic Seested informed Al Jazeera that the lack of expertise was “disappointing”.
“It implies that Valentina, my youngest, my nine-year-old, was wanting ahead to see[ing] me for our date night time, and now I could not see her,” he stated.
Which different essential companies have been affected by the federal government shutdown?
In addition to flight cancellations, the shutdown may additionally have an effect on greater than 42 million People who obtain advantages from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP), often known as meals stamps.
The federal government had deliberate to freeze funds altogether for the scheme when its funding ran out on the finish of October, however on Monday, a federal choose halted that call and stated the Trump administration should present the programme with emergency funds, not less than partially.
Officers will use $4.65bn from the Division of Agriculture’s contingency fund to assist roughly half of SNAP contributors’ “present allotments”. Regardless of this, some households could not obtain advantages for a number of weeks, US media reported this week.
When will companies resume?
When the Republican and Democratic members of Congress approve the invoice and funding is launched for presidency companies.
Tom Davis, a Republican South Carolina state senator, informed Al Jazeera that whereas the Republicans and the Democrats have gotten into standoffs earlier than, “anyone at all times blinks”.
“Historically, you move what’s known as a clear contingency decision. You proceed final 12 months’s funding ranges till the brand new ranges are agreed to. Democrats have performed this 12 occasions beneath President [Joe] Biden, however they refuse to do it beneath President Trump. So [that’s] the place we’re at this level, and Republicans are usually not going to swallow the spending enhance,” he stated, referring to the extension of healthcare advantages that Democrats are insisting on.
“However we sit right here till anyone blinks,” he added.
