{"id":275400,"date":"2025-11-06T15:39:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T15:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/275400\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T15:39:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T15:39:10","slug":"40-us-airports-set-for-flight-cuts-identified","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/275400\/","title":{"rendered":"40 US airports set for flight cuts identified"},"content":{"rendered":"

Airports in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago along with hubs across the U.S. are among the 40 that will see flights cut starting Friday due to the government shutdown<\/a>, according to a list distributed to the airlines and obtained by The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

The Federal Aviation Administration<\/a> said Wednesday that it will reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 \u201chigh-volume\u201d markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The airports impacted cover the busiest across the U.S. \u2014 including Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando, Miami, and San Francisco. In some of the biggest cities \u2014 such as New York, Houston and Chicago \u2014 multiple airports will be affected.<\/p>\n

The FAA is imposing the flight reductions to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who are working without pay during the government shutdown. The agency has already been delaying flights at times when airports or other FAA facilities are short on controllers.<\/p>\n

More air traffic controllers have been calling out of work as the shutdown drags on and the financial pressure on them mounts. Controllers already missed one paycheck, and they are scheduled to again receive nothing on next Tuesday\u2019s payday.<\/p>\n

Airlines said they would try to minimize the impact on travelers. United Airlines said it would focus the cuts on smaller regional routes that use smaller planes like 737s.<\/p>\n

Passengers should start to be notified about cancellations Thursday. The AAA recommended that travelers download their airline\u2019s app and turn on notifications. United Airlines and Delta Air LInes both said they will offer refunds to passengers who opt not to fly — even if they purchased tickets that aren\u2019t normally refundable.<\/p>\n

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP\u2019s earlier story follows below.<\/p>\n

What to do if you\u2019re facing flight disruptions during the government shutdown
Staffing shortages have caused flight delays at a growing number of airports as disruptions pile up nationwide. Here is what to know about your rights as a passenger.<\/a><\/p>\n

My flight was canceled. Now what? If you are already at the airport, it is time to find another flight. Airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge. You can ask to be booked on another airline, but airlines aren\u2019t required to put you on another carrier\u2019s flight. It is often hit or miss.<\/p>\n

Am I owed a refund? If your flight is canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or have found another way of getting to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money, even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. <\/p>\n

Can I get compensation? U.S. airlines are not required to pay additional cash compensation and cover lodging and meals for passengers who are stranded, even if a flight cancellation or a severe delay is the airline\u2019s fault.<\/p>\n

Travelers through some of the busiest U.S. airports can expect to learn Thursday whether they\u2019ll see fewer flights<\/a> as the government shutdown drags into a second month.<\/p>\n

The Federal Aviation Administration will announce the 40 \u201chigh-volume markets\u201d where it is reducing flights by 10% before the cuts go into effect Friday, said agency administrator Bryan Bedford. The move is intended to keep the air space safe during the shutdown, the agency said. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A traveler moves in view of a control tower at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo\/Matt Rourke)<\/p>\n

A traveler moves in view of a control tower at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo\/Matt Rourke)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled<\/a>. The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Transportation<\/p>\n

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks alongside Vice President JD Vance about the impact of the government shutdown on the aviation industry, outside of the West Wing of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/p>\n

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks alongside Vice President JD Vance about the impact of the government shutdown on the aviation industry, outside of the West Wing of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we\u2019ve had a situation where we\u2019re taking these kinds of measures,\u201d Bedford said Wednesday. \u201cWe\u2019re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An United Airlines flight arrives at O\u2019Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo\/Nam Y. Huh)<\/p>\n

An United Airlines flight arrives at O\u2019Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo\/Nam Y. Huh)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1. Most work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills and other expenses unless they call out. <\/p>\n

Mounting staffing pressures are forcing the agency to act, Bedford said Wednesday at a news conference. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t ignore it,\u201d he said, adding that even if the shutdown ends before Friday, the FAA wouldn\u2019t automatically resume normal operations until staffing improves and stabilizes.<\/p>\n

Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declined during the news conference to name the cities and airports where they will slow air traffic, saying they wanted to first meet with airline executives to figure out how to safely implement the reductions. <\/p>\n

Major airlines, aviation unions and the broader travel industry have been urging Congress to end the shutdown, which on Wednesday<\/a> became the longest on record.<\/p>\n

The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system and \u201cforcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience,\u201d said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman in a statement.<\/p>\n

Duffy warned<\/a> on Tuesday that there could be chaos in the skies if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paycheck next week.<\/p>\n

Duffy said some controllers can get by missing one paycheck, but not two or more. And he has said some controllers are even struggling to pay for transportation to work.<\/p>\n

Staffing can run short both in regional control centers that manage multiple airports and in individual airport towers, but they don\u2019t always lead to flight disruptions. Throughout October, flight delays caused by staffing problems had been largely isolated and temporary.<\/p>\n

But the past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the shutdown.<\/p>\n

From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 air traffic control facilities reported potential staffing limits, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.<\/p>\n

During weekends from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, the average number of airport towers, regional control centers and facilities monitoring traffic at higher altitudes that announced potential staffing issues was 8.3, according to the AP analysis. But during the five weekend periods since the shutdown began, the average more than tripled to 26.2 facilities.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press journalist Christopher L. Keller contributed from Albuquerque, New Mexico.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Airports in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago along with hubs across the U.S. are among the 40…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275401,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[9178,23,146147,28,157,33718,793,146709,9292,3031,2005,3,20444,2987,21,19,22,20,25,24,800],"class_list":{"0":"post-275400","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-aerospace-and-defense-industry","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-bryan-bedford","11":"tag-business","12":"tag-chicago","13":"tag-federal-aviation-administration","14":"tag-general-news","15":"tag-geoff-freeman","16":"tag-government-shutdown","17":"tag-los-angeles","18":"tag-new-york","19":"tag-news","20":"tag-sean-duffy","21":"tag-traffic","22":"tag-united-states","23":"tag-united-states-of-america","24":"tag-unitedstates","25":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","26":"tag-us","27":"tag-usa","28":"tag-washington-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275400\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}