U.S. Hit With Second Day of Flight Cuts as Shutdown Disrupts Travel Nationwide

Travelers across the country faced more flight cancellations Saturday as the federal government shutdown triggered its second day of major air traffic cuts — with worse disruptions expected in the coming week.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to reduce flights by 4% at 40 of the country’s busiest airports on Saturday, following similar cuts on Friday. Those reductions will increase to 6% by Tuesday and could hit 10% by November 14 if the shutdown drags on.

The cuts, which began Friday morning, impacted about 700 flights from major carriers including American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, and United. United said it was canceling 168 flights Saturday, slightly fewer than the 184 scrapped on Friday. Southwest canceled just under 100 flights, also down from 120 the day before.

The slowdown comes as roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA agents continue working without pay. Absenteeism is rising sharply, especially among air traffic controllers, many of whom were told Thursday they would go unpaid for a second consecutive pay period.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said more aggressive flight cuts could be coming if absenteeism gets worse. “We’re going to make decisions based on what we see in the airspace,” he said, noting that reductions of up to 20% could be imposed if necessary.

Already, the absences have forced the FAA to delay hundreds of flights at major hubs, including Atlanta, Newark, Houston, Phoenix, San Francisco, and D.C. On Friday alone, more than 5,600 flights were delayed due to staffing shortages.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said earlier this week that between 20% and 40% of controllers were skipping shifts on any given day, creating dangerous bottlenecks in the system.

The Trump administration has blamed Democrats for the crisis, pointing out that they’ve blocked more than a dozen clean funding bills while demanding Obamacare subsidies as part of any deal. Democrats, in turn, accuse Republicans of holding the government hostage over healthcare and other policy fights.

But with Thanksgiving travel approaching and the shutdown already the longest in American history, pressure is growing on lawmakers to strike a deal before air travel collapses further.