Overview
- The FAA activated a 4% cut in operations Friday at 40 high‑traffic airports, with reductions set to reach 10% by Nov. 14 if funding is not restored.
- Airlines canceled hundreds of flights to comply, with FlightAware reporting more than 700 Friday cancellations early and counts rising through the day.
- American plans about 220 cancellations daily through Monday, Delta cut roughly 170 on Friday, United trimmed 4% with fewer than 200 a day, and Southwest dropped about 120, with broad refund and rebooking waivers in place.
- Officials said the phased limits are a proactive safety step to relieve unpaid, short‑staffed air traffic controllers facing fatigue and increased call‑outs during the shutdown.
- The order covers major hubs and cargo nodes including Atlanta, the New York area, Los Angeles, Chicago O’Hare, Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Francisco, Memphis and Louisville, and analysts estimate a full 10% cut could sideline up to 1,800 flights per day.