America’s skies are facing unprecedented turbulence this week as a government shutdown forces airlines to slash hundreds of flights nationwide. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a reduction of up to 10 percent of flight operations across 40 of the nation’s busiest air hubs, citing safety concerns as staffing shortages intensify.
By Thursday evening, more than 750 U.S. flights scheduled for Friday had been preemptively canceled, according to FlightAware data, sparking widespread travel chaos and long lines at major airports.
Airlines Slash Schedules as FAA Orders Flight Reductions
The nation’s biggest carriers — American Airlines, Delta, and Southwest — have already begun cutting services. American confirmed the cancellation of roughly 220 flights per day, while Delta grounded about 170. Southwest Airlines also nixed around 100 flights, CNN reported.
United Airlines said it would comply with the FAA’s safety order but emphasized that international and “hub-to-hub” routes would remain intact, suggesting that regional and domestic connections are bearing the brunt of the cuts.
The reductions, which begin at 4 percent on Friday and ramp up to 10 percent next week, are expected to affect travelers in Atlanta, Chicago, Newark, Houston, Denver, and Los Angeles — all key domestic and international gateways.
Air Traffic Control Under Strain
The FAA’s move follows mounting strain on the nation’s air traffic control system, which has been stretched thin by the shutdown. Tens of thousands of FAA employees, TSA agents, and support staff are working without pay or have been furloughed, leading to staffing shortages and extended security delays.
“We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said Thursday. “Early indicators are telling us to take action today before conditions deteriorate.”
Flight delays topped 6,400 nationwide on Thursday, with average wait times exceeding two hours in Boston and Newark, and over an hour in Chicago’s O’Hare and Washington’s Reagan National.
Holiday Travel Chaos Looms
The timing could not be worse. The United States is entering its peak travel season ahead of Thanksgiving, when millions are expected to fly. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged calm, saying air travel “remains safe” despite the disruption.
“It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking,” Duffy said on X (formerly Twitter).
Still, industry analysts warn that the cuts could snowball into thousands of daily cancellations if the shutdown drags on — threatening to paralyze air travel during one of America’s busiest travel months.
The FAA has described the situation as “unprecedented”, with administrators acknowledging that the U.S. has never before faced such sweeping flight reductions tied to a federal shutdown.
As one air traffic controller put it: “This isn’t just about delays anymore — it’s about maintaining safety with fewer hands in the tower.”
