(UNITED STATES) More than 815 flights were canceled across the country on November 7, 2025, after an FAA directive forced airlines to cut schedules at 40 major airports because of air traffic control staffing shortages during the ongoing federal government shutdown. Over 1,000 flights were delayed as the order took effect, with Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines among the hardest hit as they issued advisories and rolled out softer rebooking and refund policies for affected passengers.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a 4% reduction in flights starting Friday, with the agency set to ramp that to 10% by November 14 at airports operating between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The move, described by officials as a safety measure to cope with thin staffing, sent airlines scrubbing departures and tightening schedules from Atlanta to Los Angeles. The cuts come as controllers have been working without pay since October 1, 2025, when the government shutdown began, and the FAA said selected airports showed early “signs of stress in the system,” according to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
The cancellations rippled through the nation’s busiest hubs, with widespread disruption reported in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Charlotte, New York, Houston, Chicago and Washington D.C. Newark Liberty International Airport reported departures delayed by at least 30 minutes due to staffing issues, underscoring how scarce controller capacity can slow traffic even where flights are not canceled outright. Smaller airports also experienced delays and cancellations tied to the constraints at large hubs, a reflection of how tightly connected the airspace system is.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said safety is driving the restrictions, not politics, as the FAA directive forces airlines to scale back.
“My department has many responsibilities, but our No. 1 job is safety. This isn’t about politics — it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay,”
Duffy said. Bedford said the selection of airports was based on “signs of stress in the system,” with the intent to maintain safety as the shutdown drags on and air traffic control remains stretched.
Delta Air Lines said it canceled approximately 170 flights Friday and warned travelers that schedules would remain constrained as the FAA directive deepens next week.
“We are providing additional flexibility to our customers traveling to, from or through the impacted markets to change, cancel or refund their flights, including Delta Main Basic fares, without penalty during this travel period,”
Delta announced, adding it will allow rebooking between November 7 and November 16. The airline said customers should check the latest status on its website or app, as schedules may continue to evolve while the FAA’s reductions step up toward the 10% cut.
American Airlines canceled about 220 flights on Friday and said it expects to cancel about 220 per day through Monday, November 10, as the restrictions tighten.
“Disrupting customers’ plans is the last thing we want to do,”
the airline stated. American said customers whose flights are canceled or who choose not to travel can change their flight or request a refund without penalty, in keeping with flexible options rolled out by the big carriers as the crisis unfolds.
United Airlines canceled 188 flights Friday, while Southwest Airlines canceled 100 flights and said it would automatically rebook customers whose flights are canceled. Southwest also said passengers can opt to rebook themselves or claim a refund, and it is offering flexibility to change travel dates without penalty within 14 days of the original departure. The airlines’ quick moves reflect both the scale and the uncertainty of the FAA’s rolling cuts as carriers brace for continued strain from air traffic control staffing shortages in the days ahead.
Officials said the FAA directive will run during peak operating hours, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., to manage workloads while balancing demand across the day. The decision to start with a 4% reduction and ramp up to 10% by November 14 is intended, agencies said, to allow airlines and airports to adjust gradually and reduce the risk of operational meltdowns. But the result on Friday was still a broad wave of flight cancellations that disrupted plans for families, business travelers and airline crews trying to find spare seats in an already tight national network.
The federal government shutdown has placed unique pressure on aviation operations, with air traffic controllers remaining on the job but unpaid since October 1, 2025. That arrangement has contributed to air traffic control staffing shortages as fatigue and attrition rise, according to the FAA’s internal assessments informing the directive. While the agency did not publish a full list of the 40 airports subject to reductions, carriers and airport authorities identified major hubs in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Charlotte, New York, Houston, Chicago and Washington D.C. as among those affected by the initial cuts, with delays and knock-on effects spreading into regional networks.
For travelers, the most immediate choices revolve around refunds and rebooking. Under U.S. Department of Transportation rules, passengers whose flights are canceled are entitled to full refunds, including those on basic economy tickets. Carriers including Delta, American, United and Southwest said they will offer penalty-free changes and refunds in light of the FAA directive, although airlines are not required to cover hotel, meal or taxi costs because they are not at fault for these cancellations. The agency’s consumer protection guidance and refund rules are available on the U.S. Department of Transportation guidance on refunds.
Delta said it would allow customers booked to, from or through affected airports to rebook between November 7 and November 16 without change fees. Southwest said it will provide flexibility for customers to rebook within 14 days of the original departure, and where a Southwest flight is canceled, the airline will automatically try to rebook passengers. American said customers can rebook without penalty or elect to receive a refund if their flight is canceled or if they decide not to travel because of the disruption. The airlines urged passengers to verify their flight status repeatedly in the hours before departure, as gate times, equipment and routings may continue to shift as the FAA’s cuts roll through daily schedules.
For those with urgent trips, airlines and travel experts warned that capacity will remain tight while the FAA’s reductions are in force. Frontier Airlines chief executive Barry Biffle recommended a belt-and-braces approach in the near term.
“If you are flying Friday or in the next 10 days and need to be there or don’t want to be stranded, I highly recommend booking a backup ticket on another carrier,”
Biffle said. While that advice may add cost and complication, it reflects how a 4% cut can jam up a system already operating near its limits, with spillover delays even at airports not covered by the initial list of reductions.
As the day wore on, delays stacked up beyond immediate cancellations. At Newark Liberty International Airport, departures were reported to be delayed by at least 30 minutes due to staffing issues, highlighting how controller availability affects throughput even when weather is clear. With crews and aircraft out of position and some airports slowing arrivals to maintain safe separation, knock-on delays rolled into the afternoon and evening schedules, and airlines signaled they expected additional turbulence over the next week as the FAA’s reductions ratchet up.
Travelers caught mid-journey faced limited options when connections fell apart, particularly where the next available seat was days away because of crowded flights or airport-specific cuts. While airlines offered waivers and refunds, they also reminded customers that they are not required to pay for hotel rooms or meals caused by FAA-driven cancellations. Some passengers chose to delay trips into the next week, using airline waivers to rebook once schedules become clearer, while others accepted longer connections or routings through less affected airports in an attempt to reach their destinations.
The FAA directive has also raised fresh questions about the system’s resilience when air traffic control staffing shortages collide with high travel demand. Airlines have spent the past year rebuilding schedules and staffing after the pandemic downturn, only to find themselves once again cutting back — this time at the direct request of the regulator. By pacing the reductions from 4% to 10%, the FAA aimed to avoid chaotic, last-minute scrubs; nonetheless, Friday’s more than 815 flight cancellations and more than 1,000 delays illustrate how even modest percentage cuts can ripple through a national network that depends on finely balanced timing.
Airlines stressed they would continue to coordinate with the FAA as the order evolves. Delta’s emphasis on flexibility extended even to its typically restrictive low fares in the affected period, a sign of how carriers are trying to keep customers on side while the federal mandate constrains operations. American’s acknowledgement —
“Disrupting customers’ plans is the last thing we want to do”
— captured the tension between customer service and a regulatory layer designed to ease pressure on overworked controllers. Southwest’s plan to automatically rebook canceled customers underscored the operational adjustments carriers are making to handle a high volume of short-notice changes.
The human toll of the cancellations was felt unevenly from city to city. Business hubs like Chicago and New York saw packed rebooking lines early in the day, while long-haul travelers through Los Angeles and Houston faced scarce alternatives when nonstops disappeared and connections tightened. Families trying to reach weekend events or gatherings shifted plans toward later departures or Sunday arrivals, while college students and military personnel looked for open seats to maintain tight schedules. The FAA’s six a.m. to ten p.m. bracket for cuts focused the squeeze squarely on the hours when most people travel, leaving red-eye and late-night options as rare pressure valves where airlines could maintain more of their timetables.
Officials did not say how long the reductions will remain at 10% after November 14, indicating that any extension would depend on staffing levels and the path of the federal shutdown. What was clear by Friday evening was that the adjustments would not be brief for travelers planning near-term trips. With controllers continuing to work without pay and the FAA directive now in effect, airlines and passengers must plan around fewer departures and more frequent disruptions until the government reopens or staffing improves.
The FAA and the Department of Transportation reiterated that safety will guide decisions as they monitor the airspace system. Duffy’s statement —
“My department has many responsibilities, but our No. 1 job is safety. This isn’t about politics — it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay”
— set the tone for the days ahead, while Bedford’s reference to “signs of stress in the system” explained the agency’s airport selections. For travelers, the message from both regulators and airlines was to stay flexible: check flight status frequently, accept that schedules may change again as the 10% cut approaches, and use available waivers to move trips to times less likely to be squeezed by limited controller staffing.
By nightfall, airlines said they would continue to update customer alerts as the situation evolved, including targeted advisories for the 40 affected airports. While Friday’s broad wave of flight cancellations delivered an early snapshot of the FAA directive’s impact, the fuller picture will come into view over the next week as the reduction deepens and the system contends with persistent air traffic control staffing shortages. With a second weekend approaching under the new limits and the federal shutdown still unresolved, airlines and passengers alike are preparing for more days of tight schedules, longer lines and fewer options — at least until the strain on the nation’s control towers eases.
This Article in a Nutshell
The FAA ordered a 4% reduction in flights at 40 major U.S. airports on November 7, 2025, producing over 815 cancellations and more than 1,000 delays as controllers worked without pay during the federal shutdown. The cuts will escalate to 10% by November 14 for 6 a.m.–10 p.m. operations. Major carriers—Delta, American, United and Southwest—cancelled hundreds of flights and offered penalty-free rebooking and refunds. Officials framed the move as a safety measure; travelers should monitor flight status and use waivers while capacity remains constrained.
