This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its authentic location you may go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2025/11/05/air-traffic-cuts-major-airports-government-shutdown/87111877007/
and if you wish to take away this text from our website please contact us
Flight cuts coming to main airports because of authorities shutdown
Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy stated there shall be a ten% discount in flights at 40 main airports on the finish of the week.
- A ten% flight discount will influence 40 main airports beginning on the finish of the week.
- The flight cuts are a response to staffing pressures on air visitors controllers because of the authorities shutdown.
- Air visitors controllers are thought of important and should work with out pay, resulting in fatigue and stress.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy introduced in a information convention that there shall be a ten% discount in flights at 40 main airports on the finish of the week because of the impacts of the continuing federal authorities shutdown.
Duffy’s feedback got here two days after he warned there might be far-reaching flight cancellations and disruptions to air journey, pointing to the strain on the nation’s air visitors controllers.
“I think it’s going to lead to more cancellations, but we are going to work with the airlines to do this in a systematic way,” Duffy stated on Nov. 5 in response to reporters’ questions.
“This is data-based,” he added. “This is not based on what airline travel has more flights out of what location. This is about where is the pressure and how do we alleviate the pressure.”
Duffy didn’t specify how lengthy these restrictions would possibly final or which airports can be impacted, however officers said that they’ll start on Friday morning, Nov. 7.
Officials stated they’ll work with the airways to determine the way to implement the reductions. “We’re trying to be prescriptive, surgical, put the relief where the relief will do the most good,” stated Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford within the convention. “Again, we’re not going to do anything that will compromise the safety of air travel in the United States.”
What are the airways saying?
▶ United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby promised refunds to prospects who didn’t wish to fly throughout restrictions on flights imposed by U.S. transportation officers which are set to start on the finish of the week.
Kirby wrote that any buyer is eligible for a refund whereas the reductions are in impact, “even if their flight isn’t impacted” in a memo to employees supplied to USA TODAY. The provide consists of non-refundable and fundamental economic system tickets.
He additionally stated that the airline will make rolling updates to its schedule because the record-breaking authorities shutdown continues and can present vacationers “several days’ advance notice” of adjustments to reduce disruption.
▶ Southwest Airlines stated it’s evaluating how the flight restrictions will “affect our schedule and will communicate directly with customers as soon as possible,” the corporate instructed USA TODAY in an e mail assertion. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees. We continue to urge Congress to immediately resolve its impasse and restore the National Airspace System to its full capacity.”
▶ American Airlines instructed USA TODAY that flights on Nov. 6 will function as deliberate and are ready for the FAA to offer further info to “determine which flights will be impacted.”
“We expect the vast majority of our customers’ travel will be unaffected,” American Airlines stated. “We will proactively reach out to customers who are impacted. As always, we encourage all customers to check their flight status on AA.com or the mobile app. In the meantime, we continue to urge leaders in Washington to reach an immediate resolution to end the shutdown.”
▶ Alaska Airlines stated that they are additionally conscious of the FAA’s plan to scale back flights as quickly as Nov. 7 because of the authorities shutdown. “We’re staying close to the FAA and awaiting further guidance. More information will be shared as it becomes available, and we continue to call for an end to the government shutdown,” the airways stated in a press release.
USA TODAY reached out to JetBlue for remark. Delta Air Lines didn’t instantly present a remark.
How does the shutdown have an effect on air visitors controllers?
Air visitors controllers and lots of different Federal Aviation Administration workers are thought of important employees, so that they’re required to report for obligation though they don’t seem to be incomes paychecks throughout the federal government shutdown.
While workers on the FAA and TSA are anticipated to get again pay for the duties they carried out as soon as the shutdown ends, many advocates say going weeks with out pay places them underneath further stress and can lead to them having to seek out different methods to earn momentary earnings.
When air visitors controllers or Transportation Security Administration officers fail to point out up for work, it can lead to flight delays and longer safety traces.
Bedford stated through the information convention that air visitors controllers persevering with to work through the shutdown are protecting longer hours and extra days. “We are starting to see some evidence that fatigue is building in the system in ways that we feel we need to work towards relieving some of that pressure,” he stated.
“Many (air visitors controllers) are already working six days every week, and now they’re going through the not possible alternative of taking up additional jobs simply to feed their households. Meanwhile, Congress is main us in direction of what might be the longest shutdown in our nation’s historical past, and introducing danger into an already fragile system,” National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels said in a statement Oct. 29.
What else has been causing flight delays?
While staffing has caused some delays during the shutdown, even before the government funding taps ran out, weather was also causing issues.
“Check the climate,” Mike Arnot, a spokesperson for Cirium, an aviation data analytics company, said in a statement on Oct. 31.
Up until now, storms – especially strong winds – remained one of the biggest causes of flight delays, even as air traffic controllers dealt with the effects of the shutdown.
FAA staff shortages
The FAA has had longstanding staffing shortages, with controllers in many facilities working mandatory overtime to compensate.
The Department of Transportation, under multiple administrations, has attempted to address the shortage but has struggled to attract sufficient numbers of recruits to the air traffic control organization.
Even before the shutdown began, staff shortages occasionally triggered flight delays.
This spring, following a series of equipment failures at Newark Liberty International Airport’s control facility, some air traffic control operators took time off to recover from the stress, leading to a spike in delays and cancellations at that airport.
Staff shortages have led to flow control programs to keep flights safe in other areas, too, like the airspace controlled by Jacksonville Center.
The shutdown may contribute to some of these staff issues as controllers need to find other sources of income, but it’s not necessarily the root cause of all the staffing-related problems in air travel even now.
What you’re entitled to if your flight is delayed or canceled
If your flight is affected by shutdown-related staffing issues, you may not be entitled to much. FAA staffing is seen as outside of an airline’s control, so carriers aren’t on the hook in the same way they would be for delays caused by mechanical issues or other problems on their end.
Still, if your flight is canceled for any reason, including a shortage of air traffic controllers, you’re entitled to a full refund if you choose not to fly on alternative itineraries offered by your airline.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its authentic location you may go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2025/11/05/air-traffic-cuts-major-airports-government-shutdown/87111877007/
and if you wish to take away this text from our website please contact us
