Overview
- Airlines began a phased reduction ordered at 40 major airports, starting at about 4% and scheduled to rise to 6% on Nov. 11, 8% on Nov. 13, and 10% by Nov. 14.
- More than 1,000 U.S. flights were canceled Friday with thousands delayed, and a second day of cuts on Saturday brought further ground stops and slowdowns at hubs including Charlotte, Newark, San Francisco and Dallas–Fort Worth.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned reductions could reach roughly 15% to 20% if controller callouts continue, and he said normal operations could take days to recover even after funding is restored.
- Carriers concentrated cancellations on regional routes while largely protecting long‑haul and hub‑to‑hub flying; American targeted about 220 daily cuts, Delta canceled roughly 170 on Friday, United outlined rolling reductions through early next week, and Southwest trimmed about 100 to 150 per day.
- Officials cite rising absenteeism among roughly 13,000 unpaid controllers and tens of thousands of TSA officers, and experts note that reduced passenger flights also threaten belly‑cargo capacity heading into the holiday shipping season.