US airlines cancel 1,000 flights while complying with shutdown order

Public Lokpal
November 08, 2025

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US airlines cancel 1,000 flights while complying with shutdown order

New Delhi: Anxious travelers across the U.S. felt a bit of relief Friday as airlines mostly stayed on schedule while still cutting more than 1,000 flights largely because of the government shutdown.

Plenty of nervousness remained, though, as more canceled flights are coming over the next week to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to reduce service at the nation’s busiest airports.

The order is in response to air traffic controllers — who haven’t been paid in over a month as the shutdown drags on — calling out of work in higher numbers as they deal with financial pressure.

While it’s left some passengers making backup plans and reserving rental cars, the flights canceled Friday represented just a small portion of overall flights nationwide.

Passengers still faced last-minute cancellations and long security lines at the 40 airports targeted by the slowdown including major hubs in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Airlines expect limited disruptions this weekend and stressed that international flights are not expected to be affected.

But if the shutdown persists much longer, and more controllers call out of work after they miss their second paycheck on Tuesday, the number of cancellations could jump from the initial 10% reduction of flights to 15% or 20%, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Fox News on Friday.

AP