Overview
- Flight reductions of 4% are in effect and scheduled to rise to 6% on Nov. 11 and 10% by Nov. 14 at major U.S. hubs.
- Disruptions escalated over the weekend, with roughly 1,500 cancellations Saturday and more than 1,300 by late Sunday morning, including a Newark ground stop that held over 500 inbound flights.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned cuts could increase to 15%–20% and said travel could slow to a trickle in the two weeks before Thanksgiving if the shutdown continues.
- The FAA reported staffing shortages across 42 towers and centers as controllers work without pay, with retirements rising to as many as 15–20 per day and an overall shortfall of 1,000–2,000 controllers.
- Airlines are offering refunds and flexible rebooking, and industry experts caution that fewer passenger flights could tighten belly-cargo capacity and pressure holiday shipping.