US airlines cancel flights after aviation agency directive to cut air traffic

Old_Joe

Following are edited excerpts from a current report in The Guardian:

United, Southwest and Delta have announced they will be reducing flights amid continuing government shutdown

United, Southwest and Delta airlines began cancelling flights for Friday in compliance with the FAA’s directive that will see reductions in flights at 40 major airports from Friday to help address air traffic controller shortage safety concerns as a result of the government shutdown.

On Thursday evening, Delta said it will be cancelling 170 flights on Friday and “fewer” on Saturday because it is a lighter travel day. Southwest said it will cancel 120 flights for Friday and United said it plans to cut 4% of its flights Friday through Sunday, and American Airlines said most customers would be unaffected and long-haul international travel would remain as scheduled, and that customers could change their flight or request a refund.

The affected airports covering more than two dozen states include the busiest ones across the US – including Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco. In some of the biggest cities – such as New York, Houston and Chicago – multiple airports will be be affected, as will all three airports serving the Washington DC area, inevitably causing delays and cancellations for lawmakers and other travelers. The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

The flight reductions, according to ABC News, will start at 4% on Friday and increase to 10%. The flights affected by these reductions are scheduled during the hours of 6am to 10pm. The likely airspace shutdown comes two weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday – typically the busiest travel period of the year – and raises pressures on lawmakers to reach a deal to end the shutdown.

Air traffic controllers, already in short supply, have been working unpaid since 1 October, with many working mandatory overtime and others taking second jobs, according to Sean Duffy, the US transportation secretary. The Air Traffic Organization (ATO, the operational arm of the FAA) is responsible for the scheduling and safety of more than 44,000 flights and more than 3 million airline passengers daily across more than 29m square miles of airspace.

The government shutdown has left shortages of up to 3,000 air traffic controllers, according to the administration, in addition to at least 11,000 more receiving zero wages despite being categorized as essential workers. Bryan Bedford, the FAA administrator, said the flight reductions are intended to keep the airspace safe during the shutdown.

“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” Bedford said. “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns. “Our sole role is to make sure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible.

From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 air traffic control facilities reported potential staffing limits, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center. The figure, which is probably an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.

During weekends from 1 January to 30 September, the average number of airport towers, regional control centers and facilities monitoring traffic at higher altitudes that announced potential staffing issues was 8.3, according to the AP analysis. But during the five weekend periods since the shutdown began, the average more than tripled, to 26.2 facilities.

The shutdown may also have other consequences, including slowing the investigation in a UPS cargo plane crash on Tuesday in Louisville that killed at least 12 people.

“At a minimum, the shutdown will certainly slow down the investigation,” said Matt Stoddard, an Atlanta-based transportation attorney, in a statement to the Guardian. “National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators must interact with other parts of government and those other departments’ responses will certainly be slowed.”

hank

Yeah. Stuck somewhere right now. Hoping for a flight ….

A sad commentary. And “slowing down the investigation” of a major accident indirectly lends harm to all who use air travel. Thanks for the excellent story @Old_Joe

Possibly of interest - Top 10 Billionaire jets of 2025

Mark

They should start by grounding all private aircraft. The shutdown would be over tomorrow or Monday. (Can't remember if those clowns work on the weekend.) It's been 37 days since they even showed up in DC.

Sven

Thanksgiving is only 20 days away, and Christmas follows. Hope the shutdown gets resolved before Thanksgiving.

Old_Joe

Following are edited excerpts from a current report in The Guardian:

More than 1,000 flights canceled on second day of cuts tied to government shutdown- Charlotte, North Carolina, has the most cancellations – at 120

US airlines again canceled more than 1,000 flights on Saturday, the second day of the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to reduce air traffic because of the government shutdown. So far, the slowdown at many of the nation’s busiest airports hasn’t caused widespread disruptions. But it has deepened the impact felt by what is now the nation’s longest federal shutdown.

Already there are concerns about the impact on cities and businesses that rely on tourism and the possibility of shipping interruptions that could delay getting holiday items on store shelves. Here’s what to know about the flight reductions:

• Both of the first two days of the FAA’s slowdown have seen more than 1,000 flights canceled.

• On Saturday – typically a slow travel day – the airport serving Charlotte, North Carolina, was by far the hardest hit, with 120 arriving and departing flights canceled by midday.

• Airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver and Orlando, Florida, were among the others with the most disruptions. Staffing shortages in Charlotte and Newark, New Jersey, slowed traffic too.

Not all the cancellations were due to the FAA order, and those numbers represent just a small portion of the overall flights nationwide. But they are certain to rise in the coming days if the slowdown continues. The FAA said the reductions affecting all commercial airlines are starting at 4% of flights at 40 targeted airports and will be bumped up again on Tuesday before hitting 10% of flights on Friday.

Air traffic controllers have gone without paychecks for nearly a month as the shutdown continues, leading many to call in sick and add to already existing staffing shortages. Most controllers are working mandatory overtime six days a week during the shutdown without pay, and some are taking second jobs to pay their bills, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has said.

Other repercussions from the air traffic slowdown might also include higher prices in stores, as nearly half of all US air freight is shipped in the bellies of passenger aircraft. Major flight disruptions could bring higher shipping costs that get passed on to consumers. More losses will ripple through the economy if the slowdown continues – from tourism to manufacturing, said the CEO of Elevate Aviation Group.

“This shutdown is going to impact everything from cargo aircraft to people getting to business meetings to tourists being able to travel,” he said. “It’s going to hit the hotel taxes and city taxes. There’s a cascading effect that results from this thing.’’

Crash

2026 can't come fast enough, if the election recently is any indicator.
step by step, things are going from worse to worst. it's not inevitable, but likely, due to repugnant party hubris.

no capital letters right now. cut my thumb. check out doctor snowball's monthly letter. vital messages.

hank

At 6 PM Sunday CNN is reporting that a deal has been reached. (Flight cancellation mess caught me while traveling. Sure would be nice to get home.

Please post additional details if you come across any.

Observant1

"In a procedural vote, senators advanced a House-passed bill that will be amended to fund
the government until January 30 and include a package of three full-year appropriations bills."

"If the Senate eventually passes the amended measure, it still must be approved
by the House of Representatives and sent to President Donald Trump for his signature,
a process that could take several days."

"Under a deal struck with a handful of Democrats who rebuffed their party’s leadership,
Republicans agreed to a vote in December on extending subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
The subsidies, which help lower-income Americans pay for private health insurance and are due
to expire at the end of the year, have been a Democratic priority during the funding battle."

"The vote to advance the bill passed by a 60-40 margin,
the minimum needed to overcome a Senate filibuster."

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/trump-takes-aim-obamacare-historic-federal-shutdown-hits-40th-day-2025-11-09/

Old_Joe

@Observant1- thanks much for the update.

Crash

They got nothing but promises that won't be kept. Shame on the Dems. Again. And Food Stamps?

Crash

Mark said:

They should start by grounding all private aircraft. The shutdown would be over tomorrow or Monday. (Can't remember if those clowns work on the weekend.) It's been 37 days since they even showed up in DC.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/10/government-shutdown-private-jets.html

a2z

am missing something here regarding timing of the shutdown\shutup. how many days will private jets not fly at those airports?
and why did this come after the substantial cuts already affecting public flights?

hank

a2z said:

am missing something here regarding timing of the shutdown\shutup. how many days will private jets not fly at those airports?
and why did this come after the substantial cuts already affecting public flights?

You don’t suppose they read @Mark’s post?

A government in disarray. A stock market ripping.
People without food stamps. A new ballroom.
Some things just don’t make any sense.

Old_Joe

Trump slams air traffic controllers who called out during the government shutdown

Following are excerpts from a current NPR report:

President Trump is slamming U.S. air traffic controllers who called out of work during the government shutdown, during which they were forced to stay on the job without pay.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social Monday morning that he was "NOT HAPPY" with controllers who took time off. "All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn't will be substantially 'docked,'" he wrote.

In a statement to NPR, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said, "This nation's air traffic controllers have been working without pay for over 40 days. The vast majority of these highly trained and skilled professionals continue to perform one of the most stressful and demanding jobs in the world, despite not being compensated. Many are working six-day weeks and ten-hour days without any pay."

"These unsung heroes, who report for duty to safely guide this country's passengers and cargo to their destinations, deserve our praise. They have certainly earned it."

Meanwhile, Trump called controllers who took no time off during the longest shutdown in U.S. history "GREAT PATRIOTS" and said he would recommend giving them each a $10,000 bonus.

He said any controllers who wanted to quit shouldn't hesitate, but would receive "NO payment or severance of any kind!" and would be "quickly replaced by true Patriots." (In fact, one reason for the shortage is that it takes years to train and certify new controllers.)

Others offered sharp criticism of Trump's comments. "The President wouldn't last five minutes as an air traffic controller," former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a post on X, "and after everything they've been through - and the way this administration has treated them from Day One - he has no business s****ing on them now."

Comment: Trump said in a post on Truth Social Monday morning that he was "NOT HAPPY" with controllers who took time off.

The report does not state if Trump made these comments from the golf course at Mar-a-Lago.

Observant1

It would not be surprising if these comments were made while the president was at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump has spent a considerable amount of time golfing or at Mar-a-Lago during the government shutdown.
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/01/nx-s1-5593444/trump-government-shutdown-travel

hank

”Meanwhile, Trump called controllers who took no time off during the longest shutdown in U.S. history "GREAT PATRIOTS" and said he would recommend giving them each a $10,000 bonus.”

Would that be some excess tariff money? Or what’s left over from the anonymously funded ballroom?

Ol’ Pete over at the War Department on Fox Sunday offered to provide some military controllers to help out. Trump amplified that today suggesting he could permanently replace the derelict civillian controllers with military ones.

(Sorry, don’t recall source - likely one of his incessant tweets.)