(UNITED STATES) Flight cancellations surged nationwide on Friday as airlines raced to meet a new FAA emergency order that forces a stepped 10% cut to daily domestic flights at 40 major airports, starting November 7 and reaching full compliance by November 14, 2025. The directive, aimed at easing pressure on an overstretched air traffic system, immediately affected morning schedules and is already reshaping travel plans for hundreds of thousands of passengers across the country.
Why the cuts were ordered
The FAA said the cuts are necessary because of severe air traffic controller staffing shortages, which worsened after a lapse in federal appropriations left controllers working without pay since October 3.
- U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy framed the move as a safety-first decision:
“My department has many responsibilities, but our number one 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.”
- FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford added:
“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.”
Phased reduction schedule
Airlines must follow a stepped compliance timeline that tightens over a week:
- 4% cut by 6:00 a.m. EST on November 7
- 6% cut on November 11
- 8% cut on November 13
- 10% cut (full) on November 14 — to be maintained thereafter
- The order applies to all scheduled domestic flights between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. local time at the 40 high-traffic airports listed in the FAA’s appendix.
- International flights are exempt, though carriers may choose which flights to cancel to meet domestic caps.
Enforcement, reporting, and penalties
Airlines must submit daily cancellation lists to the FAA Slot Administration. The Slot Administration can reject or modify submissions to prevent disproportionate impacts on particular regions or communities.
- Civil penalties for exceeding caps:
- Large carriers: up to $75,000 per unauthorized flight
- Small carriers: up to $16,630 per violation
These enforcement measures and the phased timeline prompted carriers to begin trimming schedules quickly, producing a wave of cancellations and delays across major hubs.
Additional operational restrictions
Beyond flight caps, the FAA’s order adds other measures to reduce controller workload:
- Prohibits some visual flight rule (VFR) approaches at facilities that hit staffing triggers
- Narrows windows for commercial space launches and reentries to 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. local time starting November 10
- Limits parachute operations and aerial photo missions near affected facilities
These steps reduce airspace complexity during the day and free up controller bandwidth for core airline traffic.
Impact on travelers
- Airlines must provide full refunds for canceled flights under federal law.
- Because the FAA emergency order is considered outside carriers’ control, airlines are not required to cover extra costs like hotels or meals.
- Carriers say they will try to rebook passengers where space is available, but capacity caps at busy airports make options limited—especially during peak hours.
- Evening departures may also be restricted as the phased cuts ramp up.
Industry response and scheduling challenges
Airlines and airports expressed cautious support for the safety rationale but warned of operational pain ahead.
- One anonymous airline operations manager at a major hub said teams were “rebuilding the schedule by the hour” to meet reduction targets while trying to protect regional communities that rely on a few daily flights.
- “You can’t just cut without thinking about who gets stranded,” the manager said. “We’re shifting some flying to later hours and moving larger aircraft where possible, but gate space and crew duty limits make this very hard.”
- The FAA reserves the right to adjust carrier plans if cuts fall too heavily on specific regions. That clause is influencing carriers’ choices about which flights to cancel first—whether to reduce frequency on trunk routes or temporarily suspend thin routes.
- Early cancellations have clustered around peak morning banks at congested hubs, according to analysis by VisaVerge.com. Trimming those waves can quickly relieve stressed facilities while preserving later-day connections.
Recent context and system strain
- The tightening follows a weekend with 2,740 delays across U.S. airports, per agency figures.
- While weekend disruptions often stem from weather or regional congestion, this week’s wave is tied to controller staffing shortages and the federal budget standoff that cut off pay for key personnel.
- Industry groups say the plan will ease pressure in towers and centers but warn that cutting flights at peak times will ripple through connections and aircraft rotations for days.
Passenger experiences
Travelers at several airports faced long lines, crowded gates, and uncertainty:
- Some passengers expressed support: “If this keeps planes safe, then do it,” said Karen McCall, who was rebooked from an early-morning departure to a late-night flight. “I just wish we had more warning.”
- Others worried about consequences: “I’ve got a work visa appointment Monday, and now my Sunday flight is gone,” said a software engineer connecting through a coastal hub. “I can’t risk missing that.”
Airlines are working with airports to add customer service staff and open extra help desks where possible.
Official resources and contact information
Passengers seeking official information can consult the Federal Aviation Administration: https://www.faa.gov
The FAA also listed a point of contact for the slot program:
- Al Meilus, Slot Administration and Capacity Analysis, FAA ATO System Operations Services
- Phone: (202) 267-2822
- Email: [email protected]
The agency encouraged travelers to check directly with airlines before heading to the airport, given the rapid pace of schedule changes.
What comes next
- The order remains in effect until the FAA cancels it. Officials may revise the scope as staffing and safety data change.
- The FAA’s stated aim is to steady the national airspace system while controller staffing stabilizes.
- Bedford said the agency would “continue to monitor conditions and adjust as necessary,” indicating the 10% cut is a ceiling that could increase or decrease depending on system stress.
For now, the FAA, the Department of Transportation, and airlines share one immediate objective: reduce stress on the system without compromising safety, and distribute the operational impacts as fairly as possible while the controller workforce weathers a difficult period.
This Article in a Nutshell
The FAA mandated a phased reduction of domestic flights at 40 major airports to ease strain from severe air traffic controller staffing shortages after controllers went unpaid since October 3. Starting Nov. 7, cuts escalate from 4% to 10% by Nov. 14, with daily reporting to the FAA Slot Administration and civil penalties for violations. The order also restricts certain VFR approaches, narrows launch windows for commercial space activity, and limits parachute and aerial photography operations. Airlines must refund canceled tickets; extra traveler expenses are not required.
