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7h ago

FAA Staffing Shortage Triggers Daylong O’Hare Ground Delays as Chicago Flight Cancellations Climb

Airlines are trimming schedules under a federal order that reduces traffic at 40 major airports.

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 27: A flight delay is displayed on the bulletin board at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on October 27, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. A nationwide staffing shortage of air traffic controller has led to many flight delays since the government shutdown on October 1. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • As of about 3:18 p.m. local time, city data showed 520 cancellations at O’Hare and 134 at Midway, with Midway delays averaging about 20 minutes.
  • The FAA implemented a ground‑delay program at O’Hare from 11:50 a.m. Monday to 12:59 a.m. Tuesday citing staffing, and a separate ground stop ran from 2:36 p.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Official delay estimates diverged, with an FAA advisory listing average O’Hare departure delays of about 241 minutes as city aviation figures showed roughly 42–51 minutes earlier in the afternoon.
  • Snow totals were far lower than forecast, with the National Weather Service reporting 1.6 inches at O’Hare and 2.5 inches at Midway as snowfall tapered.
  • The FAA’s shutdown‑era service reductions began at 4% and are set to increase to 6% on Tuesday and 10% by week’s end, following thousands of airline cancellations over the weekend.