Overview
- The FAA has ordered progressive reductions at the 40 busiest airports, starting at 4% on Nov. 7 and rising toward 10% by Nov. 14, with international flights largely excluded.
- Airlines report more than 1,000 cancellations and thousands of delays each day since the cuts began, protecting long-haul and hub connections while trimming domestic high-frequency routes.
- Transport Secretary Sean Duffy warned the cap could expand further, saying U.S. air traffic could drop "almost to zero" if the funding lapse persists into the Thanksgiving travel period.
- Airports and carriers say the FAA issued its emergency order and the list of affected airports only hours before enforcement, forcing last‑minute schedule changes and passenger confusion.
- Shutdown spillovers are widening, with Italian unions reporting thousands of unpaid civilian workers at U.S. bases, court fights over November SNAP payments, and a State Department backlog reportedly delaying over $5 billion in allied arms deliveries.