If you thought the travel woes from the past few weeks were bad, prepare for them to get much worse. Last night the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that flight capacity must be reduced in the nation’s largest air traffic markets due to air traffic control (ATC) staffing issues.
Airlines Must Cancel Flights Due to ATC Staffing
Starting Friday, November 7, 2025, airlines will be forced to reduce flights in the top forty air traffic markets nationwide by 10%. These cuts will be staggered, with 4% of flights cut Friday, 5% on Saturday, and building up to 10% early next week.
These cuts could see up to 1,800 flights per day removed from airline schedules. This is assuming the government shutdown continues and ATC staffing issues are not resolved. Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents haven’t been paid since the government shut down on October 1, 2025.
A preliminary list has been released outlining the 40 airports that will be affected by flight reductions:
- Anchorage International (ANC)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
- Boston Logan International (BOS)
- Baltimore/Washington International (BWI)
- Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG)
- Dallas Love (DAL)
- Reagan Washington National (DCA)
- Denver International (DEN)
- Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)
- Newark Liberty International (EWR)
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL)
- Honolulu International (HNL)
- Houston Hobby (HOU)
- Washington Dulles International (IAD)
- George Bush Houston Intercontinental (IAH)
- Indianapolis International (IND)
- New York John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
- Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS)
- Los Angeles International (LAX)
- New York LaGuardia (LGA)
- Orlando International (MCO)
- Chicago Midway (MDW)
- Memphis International (MEM)
- Miami International (MIA)
- Minneapolis/St. Paul International (MSP)
- Oakland International (OAK)
- Ontario International (ONT)
- Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
- Portland International (PDX)
- Philadelphia International (PHL)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)
- San Diego International (SAN)
- Louisville International (SDF)
- Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA)
- San Francisco International (SFO)
- Salt Lake City International (SLC)
- Teterboro (TEB)
- Tampa International (TPA)
While the forty airports listed above are being forced to reduce flights, the reductions will impact flights to and from additional airports as well. Hub and spoke traffic from large airports to smaller airports will likely be reduced as part of these requirements. I’d also expect point-to-point flying by airlines like Southwest to be affected because of how aircraft flow through their network.
What We Know About Flight Reductions
It’s worth noting that, due to the ongoing shutdown, the FAA has released minimal communications via its official channels. Most of the information related to the reductions are coming from news outlets, airports, and the airlines themselves.
Many of the major U.S. carriers have released statements regarding the reduction of flights and almost all of them have explicitly stated that they expect their international flight schedules to run as planned. This makes sense as cancelling those would cause the greatest amount of disruption.
Affected customers should begin receiving emails regarding schedule changes and, if you’re flying over the next few days, check your airline app as well. Changes to your itinerary may be reflected there first. Keep in mind that you are not required to accept the proposed change and can request a different routing or a refund.
How to Protect Your Travel Plans
With all of the uncertainty regarding what flights will be impacted, it is important to try and protect your travel plans where possible. For some, that may include booking a backup flight on another airline or through a different airport. Others may be choosing between whether they should drive or stay home instead of fly.
Mrs. ATX and I are scheduled to fly between Austin and New Orleans next weekend to attend a football game at LSU. Since we’re traveling with ATX Jr., who is 18 months old, our backup plan is to make the 7 hour drive between Austin and Baton Rouge should our direct flight be cancelled as we don’t want to risk getting stuck somewhere along the way.
The real impact of this will be felt in the lead up to the Thanksgiving holiday, which is one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Personally, I don’t believe that the shutdown will last that long as lawmakers on both sides are feeling the pressure.
Summary
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requiring airlines to reduce flights by 10% at 40 high traffic airports. This will have a cascading effect across the country as up to 1,800 flights per day are expected to be impacted. I’d recommend looking at alternate travel options until this staffing shortage is resolved.
