FAA Chops Flights at 40 Major Airports, Disrupting Nearly 4,000 Flights Per Day

The FAA is cutting flights across 40 major U.S. airports, reducing national air traffic capacity by up to 10% as the government shutdown drags into its second month. Luckily for affected travelers, most airlines have taken the bullet and agreed to waive any refunds or flight changes.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the measure “proactive”... though the rest of the industry doesn’t share his optimism. The reductions began at 4% and will ramp up to 10% by November 14, resulting in more than 700 cancellations on the first day alone. The cuts hit every major hub, from Atlanta and Chicago to Los Angeles and New York, marking one of the largest operational restrictions in FAA history.

The decision comes under mounting pressure from unpaid controllers and minimal staffing reserves. The agency has not provided an end date, saying only that additional measures may follow if the shutdown continues. Duffy, meanwhile, warned that if conditions worsen, he “could shut the whole airspace down.”

Airlines are scrambling to respond. United Airlines told employees it would prioritize long-haul and hub-to-hub routes while cutting regional services. The carrier is also offering refunds on all tickets, even for nonrefundable and basic economy fares. Delta, American, and Southwest made similar announcements, pledging flexible rebooking and penalty-free refunds to mitigate passenger fallout.

Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle took a different approach, advising travelers to book backup tickets in case one falls through.

“Carriers like Frontier will be putting you on the next available flight but that may not be until after your event due to the scale of this disruption,” he wrote on social media. “This will be necessary until the government shutdown is ended to ensure safety for all travelers given reduced staffing levels with ATC.”

FMI: https://nasstatus.faa.gov