American Airlines Warns of Growing Problems as FAA Flight Cuts Rise

(UNITED STATES) American Airlines said escalating FAA flight cuts at 40 major airports will start to bite in the coming days as mandated reductions climb from 4% to 10% amid the ongoing government shutdown, warning that cancellations will grow and become harder to absorb if the constraints persist.

“This level of cancellation is going to grow over time and that’s something that is going to be problematic,” CEO Robert Isom said in a CNBC interview on November 7, 2025.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to reduce schedules by 4% beginning Friday, with cuts set to widen to 6% on Tuesday, 8% on Thursday, and reach 10% by November 14. The directive targets some of the country’s busiest hubs, including New York’s John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark; Boston Logan; Chicago O’Hare; Dallas-Fort Worth; Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson; Los Angeles International; Denver; and Miami, among others. Airlines said the first wave of cancellations would be manageable, but the stepped increases will stretch operations and limit options for rebooking as the week wears on, especially if the government shutdown drags on without a clear end.

American is scrubbing about 220 flights per day during the initial phase of the FAA flight cuts, equal to roughly 4% of its schedule at the affected airports through the weekend.

“Even with these cancellations, we plan to operate around 6,000 daily flights,” said American Airlines spokesperson Sarah Jantz.

The airline emphasized that most passengers will still travel as planned in the early days of the curbs, but warned that the picture could change quickly as reductions deepen and ripple through networks linking smaller and mid-sized cities to major hubs.

Delta canceled about 170 flights on Friday, United cut around 200 per day, and Southwest trimmed 100 to 120 per day as carriers adjusted to the first step-down in available slots. Data provider Cirium reported 748 U.S. flights canceled Friday, or about 3% of total departures, and 365 on Saturday, about 1.7% of the day’s schedule, tracking a modest but noticeable squeeze as airlines recalibrated. The figures point to a baseline of disruption that is likely to rise through next week if the mandated reductions continue to expand.

The FAA’s move stems from a shortage of air traffic controllers and other staff stretched by the government shutdown, with many employees working without pay and experiencing fatigue that officials say could compromise safety if traffic volumes are not reduced.

“We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said.

Aviation officials and airline executives said cutting flights now is preferable to last-minute holds and airborne delays that can cascade across the network, but they acknowledged that planned cancellations still mean fewer seats and fewer choices for travelers.

The pattern of reductions hits domestic routes hardest. Airline planners said short-haul and medium-haul flights that feed large hubs from smaller and mid-sized markets are bearing the brunt, because they are easier to cancel and consolidate than long-haul international services. American said it is protecting overseas schedules where possible to avoid stranding passengers far from home and to keep aircraft and crews in proper rotation.

“We expect the vast majority of our customers’ travel will be unaffected, and long-haul international travel will remain as scheduled. As schedule changes are made, we’ll proactively reach out to customers who are impacted,” the airline said.

Airports from the Northeast corridor to Southern California are feeling the strain. New York’s three major airports—JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark—are central to the FAA’s action because they already operate near capacity and are sensitive to staffing shortfalls in control towers and approach facilities. Boston Logan is trimming flights as carriers rebalance frequencies on popular shuttle routes. Chicago O’Hare is reworking bank structures as American and United juggle hub connections. Dallas-Fort Worth, a linchpin of American’s network, is absorbing cancellations that ripple across Texas and the central United States. Atlanta, the world’s busiest hub by passenger volume, is reducing flights in tight increments to keep operations stable. Los Angeles, Denver, and Miami are also part of the 40-airport list, prompting careful choices about which departures to cut, and when.

Passengers have flooded airline customer service lines and chat channels since the cuts were announced, seeking clarity on whether their flights will operate and how to rebook. Carriers said hold times rose on Friday but were still lower than during major storm disruptions. All major U.S. airlines have activated travel waivers, allowing affected customers to change dates without fees and, in many cases, request refunds for non-refundable tickets if their flight is canceled. Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle offered blunt advice as the schedule reductions deepen:

“If your flight is canceled, your chances of being stranded are high, so I would simply have a backup ticket on another airline. I’m sorry this is happening. Just giving everyone practical travel advice.”

For now, airlines say they can protect most travelers in the first 4% reduction by consolidating lightly booked flights and shifting customers to nearby departures, but the planned progression to 6%, then 8%, and finally 10% will make it harder to find open seats—especially at peak times and on routes with already tight capacity. Corporate travel arrangers said they are watching next week’s Tuesday and Thursday milestones closely, because those days see heavy business demand and more hub-to-hub traffic that is crucial to network stability. Leisure travelers connecting through major airports to reach smaller cities could face longer layovers or, in some cases, a forced overnight if onward flights are reduced later in the day.

Airline operations teams are balancing multiple constraints at once. Crew scheduling, aircraft rotations, maintenance checks, and gate availability all tighten when cancellations are preplanned across many airports. American’s move to cancel about 220 flights per day at the start helps keep the rest of its system predictable, but irregular operations are still likely as weather, airspace constraints, and saturated departure banks create bottlenecks. Delta, United, and Southwest are taking similar steps, aiming to keep cancellations front-loaded in the morning or concentrated in markets where alternative flights exist, reducing the chance of stranding passengers late in the day.

The stock market reacted with modest declines across the airline sector after the FAA flight cuts were announced, reflecting investor concerns over lost revenue and the potential for prolonged operational disruption. Analysts said the direct hit from cancellations may be limited in the first days, but the compounding effect of rising percentage cuts and softer bookings could weigh on carriers if the government shutdown persists. Airlines typically see customers delay non-essential trips when reliability becomes uncertain, which can depress yields and force more discounting if schedules remain unstable.

American Airlines has emphasized that the safety-driven rationale behind the FAA’s directive is not in dispute. Executives said they support controlled schedule reductions over higher on-the-day cancellations, which can create long lines, missed connections, and crew misplacements that take days to unwind. But they also urged policymakers to resolve the budget impasse so the FAA can restore staffing levels and resume normal operations. While the agency continues to run core safety functions, the shortage of controllers—already a persistent challenge in some regions—has been made worse by the shutdown, leaving fewer people to manage dense airspace around the busiest hubs.

Industry data suggests the early rounds of cancellations are spread broadly rather than concentrated in a handful of cities, a choice that lessens the impact on any one market but raises the number of individual passengers who must adjust plans. In New York and Boston, travelers on frequent shuttle routes may see single-hourly frequencies reduced to every 90 minutes in off-peak periods. In Chicago and Dallas, hub banks are being thinned by pulling out lower-demand flights and protecting connections that feed long-haul service. In Denver and Los Angeles, point-to-point routes linking western cities are slipping to fewer departures per day, a change that requires passengers to be flexible on departure times.

American’s assurance that it plans to operate around 6,000 daily flights during the initial phase indicates the bulk of its schedule remains intact, but even a small percentage cut can strain terminals and call centers as customers reshuffle. Parking delays and longer TSA lines can build when cancellations cluster around certain times, and gate areas can become congested if rolling reassignments push passengers into tighter windows. Airline staff said they are prioritizing communication and automatic rebooking to reduce queues at service desks, and they encouraged travelers to use mobile apps for real-time updates and alternative options when they appear.

Federal officials said the decision to ratchet up reductions across November 7 to November 14 was designed to give airlines and passengers a predictable path, rather than issuing daily orders that could whipsaw schedules. By setting a timetable—4% initially, 6% the following Tuesday, 8% Thursday, and 10% by the end of the week—the FAA aimed to flatten peaks and keep contingency room in the system for weather and medical diversions. The approach is also meant to deter last-minute staff shortages from causing ground stops, which can leave aircraft and crews out of position and make the next day’s schedule even harder to execute.

The pressure on the system has revived long-running debates over controller training pipelines, staffing at key facilities, and the resilience of the national airspace when federal funding disruptions occur. The government shutdown has highlighted how quickly safety agencies must pivot to protect core functions. While the FAA continues to oversee aircraft safety, certify essential operations, and manage the national airspace, the agency said reduced staffing levels require a lower volume of flights to keep workloads and fatigue within safe bounds. Travelers and industry workers looking for official updates can check the Federal Aviation Administration, which posts safety notices and operational information.

Even as airlines urge calm, executives cautioned that the situation could deteriorate if flights are cut by 10% for more than a few days. That level of reduction would force deeper schedule changes well into November, potentially affecting aircraft maintenance planning and holiday-season readiness. Network planners said an extended 10% cap may push more carriers to consolidate routes or temporarily suspend lightly traveled city pairs to preserve aircraft for core markets. Such moves can take weeks to reverse once staffing improves, because crews and planes must be realigned and schedules re-filed with the FAA.

Customer advocates said the broad adoption of travel waivers is helpful but advised passengers to act quickly when airlines notify them of changes. As Barry Biffle noted in urging flyers to book backup options, inventory can dry up fast when multiple carriers cut schedules at the same time. On some routes, especially those with few competitors, switching flights may mean changing airports or accepting a connection. Travelers concerned about tight schedules—weddings, college visits, medical appointments—may want to move trips to earlier in the day or even a day earlier if possible, to leave room for delays or missed connections as the FAA flight cuts deepen.

For American Airlines, the next week is a test of how much strain its network can absorb as government shutdown pressures mount. The airline’s message has been consistent: near-term disruptions are limited, but the compounding effect of daily percentage increases will make it harder to shield customers if controller staffing does not rebound. Isom’s warning underscored that risk, even as the carrier promised to keep long-haul flying intact and to contact affected passengers directly. At the same time, the FAA has framed the staged cuts as a safety-first choice that trades convenience today for fewer emergencies tomorrow.

“We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” Bedford said.

By the end of next week, the industry will know whether the staged reductions and airline waivers are enough to keep travel moving smoothly, or whether the widening cuts tip the balance toward larger-scale disruptions. Much depends on whether the government shutdown ends or extends deeper into the month. For now, airlines are canceling flights, customers are adjusting plans, and the nation’s biggest airports are operating with narrower margins as the cutback plan steps from 4% to 10%. American’s bottom line is clear: the higher the mandated reductions go, the more “problematic” it will be to keep everyone moving.