U.S. airlines cancelled more than 1,000 flights and delayed more than 3,000 others on Friday as passengers scrambled to rejig their schedules after Donald Trump’s administration ordered flight reductions at major airports.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered 10 percent flight cuts to start Friday at 40 U.S. airports, including those in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, citing safety issues and staff shortages during the ongoing government shutdown.
That chaos could run into Thanksgiving even if the shutdown ends in the coming days, according to Duffy. Industry groups project a record 31 million passengers traveling in the days leading up to and after the holiday.
The cuts hit hundreds of thousands of travelers with little notice. By late Thursday, more than 800 flights had already been canceled, and analysts estimated the reductions could ultimately mean 1,800 daily flights are scrapped.
As carriers struggle to adjust, United Airlines pledged it would do “everything we can to minimize disruptions to your travel plans” and was avoiding cancelations for long-haul international flights.
American Airlines said it was still awaiting further information from the Federal Aviation Administration as to how its flights would be affected while Delta Air Lines said it expected the majority of its flights to operate as planned.
Airline industry group urges Congress to act with ‘extreme urgency’ before Thanksgiving travel
Airlines for America, an industry group that represents all major U.S. airlines, is warning that 31 million travelers are expected to travel around the Thanksgiving holiday between November 21 and December 1 — an “all-time high” number of passengers, just weeks away with no end to the government shutdown in sight.
“This simply is not sustainable,” the group said in a statement Friday.
We implore Congress to act with extreme urgency to get the federal government reopened, get federal workers paid and get our airspace back to normal operations. Time is of the essence,” the group said.
What are your rights if your flight is canceled or delayed?
Cancelations? Delays? “Significant changes” to your flight? Here’s what you need to know, and what your rights are when it comes to air travel during the government shutdown.
Sean Duffy called ‘world-class stupid’ as he flies off to campaign stop for son-in-law with airports in chaos: report
As airports across the country cut traffic, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is set to fly to a campaign event for his son-in-law.
Today’s damage so far: More than 1,000 cancelations and hundreds more delays
By late Friday afternoon, more than 3,500 flights into, from and within the United States were delayed, while U.S. airlines canceled at least 1,000 flights on the first day of new restrictions from the Trump administration during the government shutdown.
Delays and cancelations reported by FlightAware were reported across the 40 major transit hubs targeted in the administration’s order, with Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan International reporting four-hour delays, on average, with nearly 300 delays and 125 cancelations.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport reported more than 325 delays and nearly 100 cancelations.
Friday’s cuts weren’t out of the ordinary — but more are coming
Roughly 1,000 flights into and out of the United States on Friday had been canceled, or about 3 percent of the more than 25,000 scheduled daily flights in the U.S.
The Trump administration has argued that the mandatory cuts are necessary for safety, but officials and travelers are bracing for a chaotic holiday season.
While frustrating, Friday’s disruptions are not out of the ordinary. The average rate is between 1 and 2 percent.
Still, airlines will have to navigate those same level of cuts, daily, through the weekend and into next week, when cuts will increase to 6 percent on Tuesday, 8 percent on Thursday and 10 percent by next Friday, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Duffy also warned Friday that cuts could increase to 20 if the government shutdown continues, even if Congress clears a funding impasse by the time the busy Thanksgiving travel period begins.
DC airport reporting 4 hour average delays
Departing flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., are experiencing four-hour delays, on average, according to the FAA.
The longest delay was reported at more than seven hours long. The delays are due to staffing shortages during the government shutdown, which have crippled operations nationwide.
At least six airports are currently experiencing ground delays, the agency’s system status is reporting as of 3 p.m. Friday.
Senate Democrats introduce new measure to reopen government
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer rolled out yet another proposal to end the government shutdown, asking Republicans for a one-year extension of expiring healthcare subsidies in exchange for Democratic votes for a temporary spending bill.
Those Affordable Care Act subsidies are at the center of the debate among members of Congress, which has reached a monthly impasse over a bill to reopen the government.
Schumer called the proposal a “reasonable offer.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has previously called a one-year extension a “nonstarter,” but Schumer is offering up a “compromise” measure to get Republicans on board.
But Senate Republicans don’t appear willing to play ball.
“No, we’re not going to do that,” Senator Steve Daines said on Fox News after Schumer’s announcement.
Senators are expected to work through the weekend, as major airlines across the country brace for dozens of flight cancellations and delays as the Trump administration closes down transit.
American and United announce updated cancelation numbers
American Airlines, the nation’s largest airline, is planning to cancel roughly 220 of its 6,000 daily flights per day through Monday.
United Airlines canceled184 flights on Friday and plans to cancel 168 on Saturday and 158 on Sunday from its roughly 4,500 daily flights.
Flight attendant goes viral for TikTok explaining airport chaos mid-flight
Video of a Delta flight attendant explaining widespread flight reductions to passengers the night before they kicked in has attracted more than 1.7 million views.
LaToya Todd’s video shows a Delta flight attendant telling passengers that “we will cancel a flight as long as the government requires us to.”
“It is entirely up to the FAA at this point,” he said, explaining that the agency has ordered a 10 percent reduction in flights in 40 major transit hubs, amounting to roughly 540 daily Delta flights.
“The priority is all international flights,” he said. “Anything else such as a Delta connection flight, a flight that does not go through a major hub, all those are fair game to be canceled.”
He added that “we don’t have any control” and “we’re kind of rolling with what the government tells us we can and can’t do right now.”
Airports avoided major disruptions after hundreds of delayed flights
While delays have been reported at major airports across the country, major disruptions appears to be relatively limited thus far, after roughly 3 percent of the more than 25,000 flights scheduled for Friday were canceled.
LaGuardia and Newark airports experienced more than 700 and 600 delayed flights, respectively, blowing past their daily averages.
But major issues haven’t plagued major traffic hubs yet. San Francisco International briefly halted all flights this morning but flights resumed shortly after, with the airport experiencing hour-long delays on average, according to the FAA.
Other airports are seeing similar average delay times of 30 minutes up to an hour or longer.
Still, travelers are bracing for interruptions as airports get busier, unpaid federal workers get worn out, and the government shutdown drags.
