Delta, United Cancel Hundreds Of Weekend Flights Due To Government Shutdown
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are canceling hundreds of flights this weekend as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implements nationwide air traffic reductions amid the ongoing government shutdown.
Delta announced it will cancel about 170 flights on Friday, mainly affecting regional routes. The airline cited a federal directive requiring flight reductions at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports starting November 7. “These flight reductions are in response to air traffic control staffing shortages stemming from the ongoing government shutdown and are intended to maintain safety across the national airspace system,” a Delta spokesperson said.
United is also scaling back, cutting roughly 4% of its weekend schedule—just under 200 flights per day, according to USA Today. In total, more than 500 flights across all carriers have been canceled so far, the Associated Press reported.
The White House’s Rapid Response account on X (formerly Twitter) placed blame squarely on congressional Democrats, writing: “Thank A Democrat,” and calling the situation “the Democrat Shutdown.” The administration claims the cancellations could have been avoided if Democrats had passed a stopgap funding bill.
The federal government shutdown has now entered its 37th day. With no funding deal in sight, the Department of Transportation has warned the crisis could deepen. On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the FAA will slash air traffic by 10% at 40 major airports, citing safety concerns.
“Air traffic controllers have gone weeks without pay,” Duffy said. “We’re seeing higher numbers calling in sick or leaving the job altogether. We cannot risk safety, so this reduction is necessary.”
The flight cuts come just ahead of the Thanksgiving travel rush, which is expected to be one of the busiest in recent memory.
Airports Affected by FAA Reductions
The 40 airports impacted by the FAA’s directive include major travel hubs across the country, from New York to Los Angeles, Atlanta to Anchorage:
• Anchorage (ANC)
• Atlanta (ATL)
• Boston Logan (BOS)
• Baltimore/Washington (BWI)
• Charlotte (CLT)
• Cincinnati (CVG)
• Dallas Love Field (DAL)
• Reagan Washington National (DCA)
• Denver (DEN)
• DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)
• Detroit (DTW)
• Newark (EWR)
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
• Honolulu (HNL)
• Houston Hobby (HOU)
• Dulles (IAD)
• Houston Intercontinental (IAH)
• Indianapolis (IND)
• JFK (New York)
• Las Vegas (LAS)
• LAX (Los Angeles)
• LaGuardia (LGA)
• Orlando (MCO)
• Midway (Chicago)
• Memphis (MEM)
• Miami (MIA)
• Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP)
• Oakland (OAK)
• Ontario (ONT)
• O’Hare (Chicago)
• Portland (PDX)
• Philadelphia (PHL)
• Phoenix (PHX)
• San Diego (SAN)
• Louisville (SDF)
• Seattle/Tacoma (SEA)
• San Francisco (SFO)
• Salt Lake City (SLC)
• Teterboro (TEB)
• Tampa (TPA)
The FAA has not said how long the reductions will remain in place, but sources within the agency warn that if the shutdown continues into the holiday season, the impact could snowball.
Industry analysts predict major disruptions unless Congress ends the funding standoff. One airline insider told reporters, “If this isn’t fixed by Thanksgiving week, we’re looking at the worst air travel delays we’ve seen in over a decade.”