The U.S. Travel Association this week warned that the continued government shutdown would have “devastating” consequences for American travelers, communities and travel businesses. Now, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it would begin cutting flights on Friday at 40 of the busiest airports in the U.S. in order to alleviate the burden felt by overworked air traffic controllers, who have now gone more than a month without pay.
According to ABC, these 40 airports will start by cutting 4% of their flights each day, increasing daily until they get to a 10% cut next week. The AP adds that these cuts will equate to about 1,800 flights and 268,000 seats. FlightAware data shows that there have already been over 4,000 delays within, into or out of the U.S. each day this week, with hundreds more canceled. That number typically sits closer to 2,500 delays per day.
In a statement following the announcement, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman said, “All government shutdowns are irresponsible and this decision underscores the urgent need to reopen the government. The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system, forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience. The fault for this situation rests squarely at the feet of Congress.”
Making matters worse, even before the shutdown, the FAA was more than 3,000 certified air traffic controller short. Looking at this another way, in 2025 though the end of September, the average number of airport towers, regional control centers and related facilities reporting staffing shortages was 8.3. Since the shutdown, the average number of facilities citing staffing shortages has tripled to 26.2.
On Thursday, Philadelphia, Newark and Charlotte are seeing delays due to volume and traffic management initiatives. Philadelphia and Charlotte have average delays of 15 to 30 minutes, while Newark has an average delay of 105 minutes.
While international flights will reportedly be exempt from the planned cuts, just about any other flight could be affected: Flight reductions will come between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
