Flight timings and cancellations are displayed on the departures board, a month into the continuing U.S. authorities shutdown, at Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., November 9, 2025.
Annabelle Gordon | Reuters
Flight cancellations have been once more piling up on Monday as air visitors controller shortages, worsened by the longest-ever U.S. authorities shutdown, snarled air journey coast to coast and President Donald Trump threatened to dock air visitors controllers’ pay in the event that they did not present as much as work.
On Monday, 1,432 of the 25,733 scheduled flights throughout the nation have been canceled, round 5.5% “and rising,” in response to aviation-data agency Cirium.
Final week, the Trump administration ordered airways to chop flights at 40 main U.S. airports beginning with 4% reductions final Friday and ramping as much as 10% by this coming Friday, Nov. 14.
“All Air Site visitors Controllers should get again to work, NOW!!!,” Trump stated in a publish on Fact Social, including that he would advocate $10,000 bonuses for any air visitors controllers who did not take any time without work throughout the shutdown. He stated those that do not instantly return to work could be “docked.”
Disruptions over the weekend totaled 18,576 flights delayed and 4,519 canceled, in response to FlightAware. Cancellations spilled over from regional, short-haul jets — which the biggest U.S. airways depend on for round half of home flights — to mainline flying.
United Airways and Delta Air Strains have been every providing flight attendants additional pay to select up flights, in response to firm messages seen by CNBC. Such additional pay is widespread throughout storms or different disruptions. The airways did not instantly remark.
An indication of how extreme air journey disruptions have grow to be throughout the federal government shutdown: Sunday’s 2,631 U.S. flight cancellations, 10% of the day’s schedule, marked the 4th worst day since January 2024, Cirium stated.
Compared, on Friday morning, as Trump administration-mandated flight cuts took impact, cancellations ranked 72nd because the begin of final 12 months.
The disruptions that upended the journey plans for a whole lot of 1000’s of vacationers pressured them to search for various transportation. Automobile rental firm Hertz final week reported a rise in one-way rental demand. There’s additionally been elevated demand for personal jet flights in current days, in response to the CEO of constitution and fractional possession firm Flexjet.
Although the Trump administration order did not initially require non-public aviation to chop in the identical method as business airways, the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday started limiting these flights at a dozen U.S. airports. Nevertheless, many non-public jet operators do not use the busiest business airports, stated the Nationwide Enterprise Aviation Affiliation.
Elevated pressure
Air visitors controllers missed their second paycheck of the shutdown on Monday, although they’re nonetheless required to work. A few of them have taken second jobs to make ends meet, authorities and union officers have stated.
“Now, they have to give attention to youngster care as a substitute of visitors flows. Meals for his or her households as a substitute of runway separation,” Nick Daniels, president of the Nationwide Air Site visitors Controllers Affiliation, stated at a press convention on Monday. “The added stress results in fatigue, the fatigue has led to the erosion of security and the elevated danger each day that this shutdown drags on.”
The Senate made progress in a single day on a deal that would finish the shutdown, however it has not but permitted a funding invoice.
Daniels stated that it is not but clear how lengthy it will take for controllers to obtain backpay for his or her work. Within the shutdown that resulted in 2019, it took about two and a half months earlier than the employees have been made entire, he stated.
That is breaking information. Examine again for updates.
