Flight Cancellations Begin, Disrupting MSP Airport Operations

(MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA) Flight cancellations began Friday at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport as an FAA mandate tied to the ongoing federal government shutdown forced carriers to trim schedules at MSP Airport and dozens of other major hubs. By early morning on November 7, 2025, at least 13 flights at MSP were scrubbed and data from FlightAware pointed to 31 planned cancellations for the day, part of a nationwide squeeze that aviation officials warn could worsen next week if lawmakers fail to break the deadlock in Washington.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a 4% reduction in domestic flights at 40 major U.S. airports, including MSP, to ease pressure on air traffic control staffing during the shutdown. If the political stalemate continues, the FAA says cuts will rise to 10% by November 14, a step-up that could translate to dozens more scrubbed departures and arrivals in Minnesota and ripple effects across the country. The move, announced by the Federal Aviation Administration, aims to prevent overloads in towers and control centers as controllers work without pay and schedules tighten.

MSP Airport’s own board showed the early impact. As of 6 a.m. Friday, six incoming and seven outgoing flights were listed as canceled. Most were operated by regional carriers, notably Endeavor Air and SkyWest, which handle a large share of short-haul routes in the Upper Midwest. Flight cancellations increased through the morning as operational limits kicked in, with data firms and airline trackers flagging additional scrubbed flights through the afternoon.

Delta Air Lines, the dominant carrier at MSP, canceled 24 domestic flights Friday, affecting routes to regional destinations including Green Bay, Minot, and Sioux Falls. Those links are typical of the short hops most vulnerable to across-the-board capacity cuts, since airlines often consolidate frequencies or switch equipment to preserve longer-haul services during disruptions. Sun Country Airlines, MSP’s second-largest carrier, said it was adjusting schedules and contacting customers directly. A spokesperson said the airline is working through affected itineraries and urged passengers to keep tabs on their bookings as the situation evolves.

Across the United States, about 1,000 flights were canceled Friday, according to industry tallies, with 818 cancellations reported by mid-morning and numbers expected to climb through the day. Analysts said the nationwide figure could double by next week if the shutdown persists and the mandated reductions increase to 10% at key airports. The pattern was visible at MSP Airport, where early cancellations clustered among regional feeders and intrastate or short regional routes—exactly the categories airlines typically pare first when forced to reduce flying under a blanket cut.

For many travelers, the uncertainty started the night before, with airline apps and tracker sites refreshing throughout the evening.

“We checked the app all night to make sure our flight was on time. Didn’t see any cancellations, so everything’s good. I didn’t know if our flight would be affected. I don’t think it is going to get affected, hopefully, but it’s just kind of like a big once in a lifetime event, so it’d be really scary to miss it and try to have to figure out things from there. Yeah, and your nephew’s baptism, yeah, yeah.”

The remarks captured the stress percolating through airport concourses as families, business travelers, and groups bound for milestone events tried to make backup plans on short notice.

By late morning, security lines at TSA checkpoints in Minneapolis were still relatively short, with wait times under 15 minutes. But airport officials and staff said traffic patterns tend to shift as cancellations stack up, pushing more travelers into later flights and creating choke points at certain gates as airlines re-accommodate displaced passengers. While there was no immediate sign of severe crowding inside the terminal, staff warned that

“things are going to change”

as the cuts ramp up in the coming days and more flights are removed from schedules the evening before departure.

Airlines moved quickly to roll out options for affected customers. Delta, United, and American Airlines said they were offering refunds or rebooking for travelers whose flights were canceled under the FAA mandate. United said it was protecting international flights and hub-to-hub routes at seven of its busiest airports to preserve backbone capacity on long-haul and core domestic corridors; MSP is not one of those hubs, a detail that left many Twin Cities travelers more exposed to changes. American and Delta encouraged customers to use self-service tools for same-day flight changes where possible, to reduce call center queues and avoid crowds at customer service counters.

The FAA’s directive is national in scope, but its blunt edges fell quickly on MSP Airport because of its reliance on regional partners and the density of short-haul connections around the Upper Midwest. Endeavor Air and SkyWest—two of the most active regional operators at MSP—featured prominently among early cancellations, a signal of how carriers manage capacity when they are forced to shave schedules by percentage instead of tailoring by route. In practical terms, that meant thinner choices to places like Green Bay, Minot, and Sioux Falls, and fewer back-up options if a seat was needed later in the day.

The political backdrop charged the moment. The shutdown has stretched resources at federal agencies and left air traffic controllers working without pay, a situation labor groups say is unsustainable and risks cascading delays if fatigue and staffing gaps worsen. Lawmakers in Washington spent the week trading barbs over funding bills that would reopen the government, but aviation officials said they had no choice except to impose standardized cuts to preserve safety margins as workloads and stress levels rise in critical facilities. The FAA’s 4% to 10% stair-step plan reflects internal modeling on controller availability and operational risk at the nation’s 40 busiest fields, including Minneapolis–St. Paul.

MSP averages about 843 flights per day, airport data show, a pace that leaves little slack if a sudden 10% cap is imposed system-wide. If the shutdown continues into next week, officials warned, Minneapolis could see up to 84 flights canceled daily by November 14, a move that would reshape schedules, push certain routes below viable frequency, and reduce the number of available seats across many time bands. Because aircraft and crews follow complex rotations, a cancellation in the morning can erase an afternoon flight elsewhere, magnifying the impact beyond a single listed route on a single day.

Travelers faced a familiar checklist of workarounds. Some switched to earlier departures to reduce the risk of rolling cancellations. Others drove to nearby airports with more flight choices, hoping to protect connections on the back end. Sun Country Airlines said it would continue to evaluate day-by-day schedules and urged passengers to watch for updates closely. As the carrier put it,

“keep checking your flight status.”

That guidance mirrored advice from Delta, United, and American, which directed customers to their apps and websites for live status updates, change options, and digital refunds where applicable.

The timing could hardly be worse for airlines and airports ramping up for the holiday rush. Industry planners said the FAA mandate will send scheduling teams back to the drawing board to decide which flights to cut while preserving reliable connections to hubs and key markets. At MSP, that likely means protecting peak-time banks and trunk routes while trimming some off-peak frequencies and shorter legs. While carriers can often consolidate two half-full flights into one during quiet periods, the approach becomes harder to execute as Thanksgiving nears and load factors rise.

For now, the immediate advice is simple and pragmatic. Check and re-check flight status, especially on domestic routes within the FAA’s 40-airport cap. Build in extra time at MSP Airport in case a rebooking requires a terminal change or a new security screening. If a flight is canceled, use the airline’s app first—rebooking tools often display more reroute choices than a gate agent can see in the moment, and digital queues move faster than phone lines when thousands of passengers are seeking help at once. Travelers with tight connections should consider earlier departures if seats are open, as late-day banks are more vulnerable to knock-on delays.

As Friday wore on, the picture remained fluid but tense. Flight cancellations continued to tick upward, with regional schedules taking the brunt and more mainline changes expected if the shutdown drags on. Airlines said they would publish nightly updates as the FAA mandate and staffing levels become clearer, a rolling process that will shape Saturday and Sunday operations and set the tone for the week ahead. If Congress reaches a funding deal, carriers could begin restoring flights quickly; if not, the 10% cut scheduled for November 14 looms as a hard line that will cascade through the system.

For the passengers who made it onto their planes Friday, relief mixed with worry about the journey home. For those still in the terminal, uncertainty remained the watchword, underscored by the KARE 11 traveler hoping to make a family ceremony on time. As airlines and the FAA navigate the pressures of a government shutdown, MSP stands as both a barometer and a bellwether—an airport feeling the first cold gusts of a broader storm that could grow stronger before it breaks.