FAA flight cancellations will worsen with government shutdown

Nearly 7,000 U.S. flights were delayed and more than 2,000 were canceled Saturday amid a nationwide air traffic controller staffing shortage, and the nation’s airlines will have to cut hundreds more flights in the coming week if Congress can’t reach a solution to end the government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history.

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

On Friday night, Senate Republicans rejected a Democratic proposal to reopen the government.

“Due to the extended government shutdown and nationwide air traffic control staff shortages, we, like most airlines, are experiencing additional, widespread delays and cancellations across the country today despite the advanced cancellations the FAA required us to make.” american airlines he said in an advisory to customers Saturday. “We again urge leaders in Washington, DC, to reach an immediate resolution to end the shutdown.”

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

Nearly 2,200 U.S. flights were canceled Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET, about 7% of the day’s schedule, according to aviation data firm Cirium. About a third of that number was canceled early in the day, on par with a day of severe thunderstorms, which can be disruptive, though they are routine. Cirium said it ranked 72nd for worst cancellations since Jan. 1, 2024, on Friday.

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

The disruptions come during a generally slow travel season, but the key Thanksgiving weekend is less than three weeks away. The impact to airlines could quadruple given the rise in fares during that period of high demand, Seaport Research Partners airline analyst Daniel McKenzie said in a note on Friday.

This week, airlines waived date change fees for travelers on affected flights and said they can also request a refund. Airline executives said many customers were being rebooked on alternative flights, while last-minute changes caused others to seek other arrangements. hertzFor example, he said Thursday that when the FAA made its flight reduction announcement, one-way car rentals increased 20% over the same two-day period a year earlier.

Delays increased throughout the day on Saturday, with more than 6,700 US flights arriving late, according to FlightAware. A shortage of air traffic control personnel caused delays at major airports, including Delta Airlines hub Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, united airlines hubs at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, and at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a busy US hub, as well as Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

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