First of all, let me say that there isn’t anything unsafe about aircraft operating below 10,000 feet but, it is unusual. Living in Austin I frequently find myself taking short hops to Dallas and Houston and even those flights get up to around 20-25,000 feet for flights that are typically airborne for less than an hour.
Given the chaos related to the government shutdown and air traffic controller (ATC) shortage, we’re seeing some unique routings as airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) attempt to minimize disruptions.
United Flight From Newark to Savannah Operated at 6,000 Feet
Over the weekend a friend of mine sent me a Reddit post of a passenger stating their United pilot told them they would be flying at 8,000 feet instead of 34,000 feet due to ATC restrictions. While I thought they were exaggerating and the flight only operated at that level for s short time, it appears that wasn’t the case.
On Sunday, November 9, 2025, United Flight 2320 between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) operated the majority of the 4 hour and 18 minute flight (roughly 2.5 hours was in the air with the remainder taxi time at EWR) at 6,000 feet! The flight briefly climbed to 8,000 and 10,000 feet during the trip.
The flight was operated by a 26 year old Boeing 737-700, registration N39726. On the return flight the aircraft operated as high as 35,000 feet, so this clearly wasn’t due to a mechanical issue.
According to reports from those onboard, no cabin service was offered during the trip as flight attendants had to remain seated for the duration of the flight. While this was the most drastic altitude difference I came across, it wasn’t the only one that I found during my search.
I’m not going to pretend that I know all of the ins and outs of air traffic control but, I assume this was done to spread out planes and relieve congestion amid the ATC shortage. If anyone reading has any more information or was onboard one of these flights, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Summary
A United Airlines flight between Newark and Savannah operated by a Boeing 737-700 spent the majority of the 708 mile flight at 6,000 feet. This unique altitude was done as air traffic controllers attempt to deal with a personnel shortage amid the government shutdown.