Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement Wednesday that 40 of the nation’s major airports will see a 10% reduction in flights, in an unprecedented move as the federal government shutdown reached its 36th day, the longest in American history. The shutdown has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA agents to work without paychecks, imposing growing pressure on an already-stretched system. The FAA is currently about 3,500 controllers short of its staffing targets, with many working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown began.
The surprise announcement sent shockwaves through the aviation industry, giving airlines just 36 hours to slash their schedules while worried passengers jammed customer service lines seeking answers about their upcoming travel plans.
Duffy cited serious air traffic control safety concerns as the reason for the cuts, pointing to a confidential safety assessment that raised red flags about controller performance during the prolonged shutdown. “We had a gut check of what is our job,” Duffy told reporters. “Our job is to make sure we make the hard decisions to continue to keep the airspace safe.”
FAA Announces Progressive Capacity Cuts Up to 10% Due to Controller Staffing Issues at 40 Key Markets
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford explained the urgency at a press conference: “When we see pressures building in these 40 markets, we just can’t ignore it. We can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating so the system is extremely safe today, will be extremely safe tomorrow.”
As many as 20% to 40% of the controllers at the FAA’s 30 largest airports failed to show up for work on Tuesday alone, according to Bedford.
Cuts will be rolled out progressively, starting at a 4% capacity reduction, increasing to 5% on Saturday and 6% on Sunday, and reach the full 10% next week. International flights will not be facing such restrictions.
Officials have not identified the specific 40 airports involved, though they acknowledged the reductions will impact the nation’s 30 busiest hubs: serving New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Dallas. According to estimates by aviation analytics firm Cirium, this could be as many as 1,800 flights and more than 268,000 airline seats.
The major carriers are scrambling to adjust operations. United Airlines Chief Executive Scott Kirby assured customers that long-haul international and hub-to-hub flying would remain intact, and the cuts would come instead from regional flying and non-hub domestic routes.
The airline is also offering flexible refunds to any customer who travels during this period, whether or not their particular flight is affected.
Government Shutdown Disrupts Airlines and Federal Services as Political Standoff Continues
American Airlines also said the impact for most customers would be very limited. Southwest Airlines, the largest domestic carrier in the country, is still assessing how this will affect its schedule.
The shutdown is a product of a bitter congressional standoff over a funding bill. Democrats insist the bill must include an extension of health insurance subsidies, a requirement Republicans rejected.
The Trump administration has increased its efforts to pressure Democrats to end the shutdown. Duffy said the cuts could be reversed if Democrats agreed to reopen the government.
The shutdown, now in its sixth day and having begun October 1, has already brought devastating effects beyond aviation. Around 750,000 federal employees have been furloughed, many low-income Americans have lost food assistance, and many government services have been shuttered.
The president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Sara Nelson, referred to the shutdown as “cruel attacks on all Americans.” She added that the false narrative that this shutdown is a choice of either paying federal workers or protecting affordable healthcare is outrageous when both crises were manufactured by the exact people who can fix it.
Air Traffic Controller Staffing Crisis Causes Mass Delays, Threatens “Mass Chaos”
Tens of thousands of flights have been delayed since the shutdown because of staffing shortages among the nation’s air traffic controllers. At least 3.2 million passengers have been affected. More than 2,100 flights were delayed on Wednesday alone.
Carriers have warned that bookings could fall sharply if the shutdown continues. Shares of major carriers such as United and American fell about 1% in extended trading after Duffy’s announcement.
Duffy also warned on Tuesday that if the shutdown continues for another week, it could result in “mass chaos,” and officials may be compelled to shut parts of national airspace altogether.
Limits on space launches and general aviation flights will increase. Government officials said nothing would be final until the FAA publishes its order Thursday, leaving millions of travelers in limbo as the political standoff shows no signs of resolution.
