US Travel Chaos Over 750 Flights Cancelled Amid Shutdown

Travel chaos has gripped the United States as airlines scramble to adjust operations amid a worsening government shutdown that has crippled the country’s air traffic system. More than 750 flights scheduled for Friday have been preemptively cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and sparking widespread frustration at airports nationwide.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered airlines to reduce flights by up to 10 percent across 40 high-traffic regions starting Friday, citing safety concerns as the primary reason. The decision comes amid severe staffing shortages, with tens of thousands of air traffic controllers, TSA agents, and airport staff working without pay or taking enforced leave.

According to tracking platform FlightAware, airlines including American, Delta, Southwest, and United are among those most impacted. American Airlines alone confirmed the cancellation of 220 daily flights, while Delta announced around 170 cancellations. Southwest, too, reported cutting approximately 100 flights as part of compliance with the FAA directive.

By Thursday evening, more than 6,400 US flights were delayed, while 200 were cancelled outright. Major airports — including Boston Logan, Newark Liberty, Chicago O’Hare, and Washington Reagan National — faced significant delays, with wait times at security checkpoints exceeding two hours in some terminals.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford defended the drastic move, stating, “We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself. Early indicators show we must act now to prevent conditions from worsening.”

The timing couldn’t be worse, as the country heads into the peak Thanksgiving travel season, one of the busiest periods for domestic flights. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attempted to reassure the public, saying, “It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking.”

Flight reductions will begin at 4 percent on Friday and gradually increase to 10 percent, potentially impacting thousands of flights each day. The busiest airports in Atlanta, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Newark are expected to bear the brunt of the cancellations.

The shutdown, triggered after Congress failed to pass a funding bill beyond September 30, has forced 1.4 million federal workers either to take unpaid leave or to continue working without pay. Many employees in critical aviation roles are reportedly calling in sick or seeking second jobs to make ends meet.

“This is an unprecedented situation,” Bedford noted. “In my 35 years in aviation, I’ve never seen us take measures of this magnitude — but these are unprecedented times for the government as well.”

With no resolution in sight, air travel in the US remains in turmoil, and passengers are being urged to check flight statuses frequently and rebook only through official airline channels to avoid scams during the chaos.