Over 100 flights cancelled: How US govt shutdown is affecting travellers; right before Thanksgiving | Business
John Denver once sang, “I’m leaving on a jet plane.” In 2025, it’s more like, “I’m staying home because the FAA said no planes.” As the longest government shutdown in US history stretches into its second month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered airlines to cut 10% of flights across 40 major airports, creating the worst pre-holiday travel disruption in a generation. For millions of Americans, this isn’t just an inconvenience. It’s the collision of political dysfunction, economic anxiety, and logistical chaos. Thanksgiving travel – the country’s most sacred migration is now hostage to a shutdown that has frozen everything from air traffic salaries to safety oversight.
The big picture
At the heart of the crisis is money or rather, the absence of it. The government shutdown began on October 1 after budget negotiations between President Donald Trump and Congress collapsed. The sticking point: a standoff over immigration funding, federal spending limits, and a proposed rollback of green energy subsidies that Democrats refused to pass. As the impasse dragged on, the effects rippled across the public sector. More than 800,000 federal employees were either furloughed or forced to work without pay. Among them: the nation’s air traffic controllers and TSA officers – the people who keep planes in the sky and passengers moving safely through airports. By early November, the FAA’s own safety data began flashing red. Internal reports warned that fatigue among controllers was increasing, and voluntary safety submissions from pilots raised concerns about slower responses and communication errors. That’s when Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA chief Bryan Bedford made a dramatic call: trim flights before something worse happens.
The cuts explained
The FAA’s emergency directive ordered all major carriers – including United, Delta, American, and Southwest to reduce their domestic flight schedules by 10%. The cuts were phased in over several days, starting at 4% and climbing to 10% by mid-November. The reductions target 40 of the nation’s busiest airports, from Atlanta to Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Miami. While long-haul international routes remain mostly intact, smaller and regional flights have been gutted. The logic is simple: fewer takeoffs mean less workload for controllers and lower risk of fatigue-related errors. But it’s a blunt instrument. Airlines were given just 48 hours to revise schedules, reassign crews, and refund passengers. Many had to scrap entire routes and rebook thousands of travellers. As of this week, flight-tracking sites recorded more than 3,000 cancellations nationwide since the order took effect.
Why it matters
Air safety isn’t something anyone wants to gamble with, and the FAA’s logic is hard to dispute. But this is a crisis born of political dysfunction, not bad weather or technical failure. The shutdown has left the aviation system operating on fumes – and goodwill. Controllers, who are legally barred from striking, are showing up unpaid. TSA staff, also deemed “essential,” are working extra shifts to keep airports open. Many have taken second jobs to pay rent. The FAA’s training academy in Oklahoma City has suspended new recruit intakes, worsening an already critical staffing shortfall of about 3,000 controllers nationwide. In normal times, these shortages would already be a headache. Add a government shutdown, and it becomes a full-blown safety risk. As one aviation analyst put it, “You can’t run a 24/7 airspace system with exhausted people and no paychecks.” Politically, the shutdown has become a symbol of Washington’s paralysis. Republicans blame Democrats for refusing to compromise on spending cuts; Democrats accuse Trump of manufacturing chaos to force political concessions. Meanwhile, the travelling public pays the price – in cancelled flights, lost holidays, and shattered plans.
What travellers can expect
Where the pain hits: Forty major airports are affected, including Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York’s three main hubs.When: The reductions are being rolled out through mid-November, just as Thanksgiving travel begins to surge.Refunds: Airlines must provide full cash refunds for cancelled flights but are not obliged to cover accommodation or meals.Delays: Expect longer TSA lines as unpaid officers continue to report for duty, often understaffed.Workarounds: Early-morning or nonstop flights are less likely to be affected. Travellers are being urged to monitor airline apps closely and prepare backup plans, including alternative transport.
The broader context
The irony is painful: America’s air system, often celebrated as a marvel of modern efficiency, now mirrors the dysfunction of its politics. A nation that once built the world’s safest skies is struggling to keep its control towers staffed. The FAA’s flight cuts are both a safety measure and a cry for help – a way of forcing political leaders to confront the human cost of gridlock. Officials insist that it’s still safe to fly, but that reassurance is wearing thin. As fatigue builds and morale drops, the risk of systemic failure increases. Economically, the timing couldn’t be worse. Thanksgiving week is the single largest travel period in the United States, with more than 55 million people typically flying or driving. Airlines estimate that even a 10% cut in capacity could cost them over $400 million in lost revenue. Hotels, car rental companies, and restaurants around airports are bracing for similar losses. In short: this isn’t just a political dispute. It’s an economic chokehold on one of the most logistically complex networks in the world.
The human side
Beyond the statistics, there’s fatigue, frustration, and a sense of futility. Controllers are working ten-hour shifts without pay. Pilots are flying fewer hours but facing angrier passengers. Families are stranded in terminals that feel like symbols of a larger national standstill. Thanksgiving is meant to be about homecoming. This year, it feels more like house arrest. Travellers stare at departure boards flashing Cancelled while politicians in Washington trade barbs on cable news. It’s a tableau of modern America: everyone waiting, no one moving, everyone blaming someone else.
What’s next
The FAA says the cuts are temporary and will be lifted once the shutdown ends. But aviation experts warn that the damage is already done. Even if funding resumes tomorrow, it will take weeks to restore full schedules and months to rebuild morale. For now, the skies above America remain half-empty, not because of storms or war, but because a divided government couldn’t pass a budget. John Denver’s lyric still rings out softly on airport speakers – “I’m leaving on a jet plane.” But in 2025, it sounds less like a promise and more like a question.
