Airlines across the United States have begun canceling flights amid the longest government shutdown in history, disrupting air travel and forcing thousands of passengers to change their plans.
The country’s four largest carriers have already suspended hundreds of flights. As a result, the nation’s busiest aviation market has turned into a flashpoint in the ongoing battle between Republicans and Democrats over federal funding, Bloomberg reported. US President Donald Trump has stepped up pressure to reach an agreement.
The Republican-led administration says the cuts are necessary to maintain flight safety amid staffing shortages caused by the shutdown, while at least one senior Democrat in Congress has called for more transparency to ensure the move is not politically motivated.
Denver proposes to personally pay airport employees during the shutdown
A Colorado city has proposed keeping the nation’s third-busiest airport operating by personally funding air traffic controllers during a historic government shutdown, a Politico report reports.
This comes after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an unprecedented order to curtail routes nationwide due to the government shutdown.
Denver’s plan, which requires FAA approval, aims to avoid the 10 percent reduction in flights mandated for major U.S. airports, including Denver International Airport, Mayor Mike Johnston told Politico on Thursday.
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“The Denver airport is perhaps the biggest economic driver in the Rocky Mountain West,” the Democrat told the paper.
“It is crucial not only for our quality of life, but also for our economic health,” he added.
The city-run airport formally asked the FAA to waive the payment to its employees on Wednesday, but had not received a response by Thursday, according to the report.
The FAA ordered the flight aborted
The FAA’s selected slowdown affects 40 airports in more than two dozen states, including major hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina.
More than 800 flights were canceled nationwide, four times the number canceled Thursday, AP FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, reported.
The FAA announced that flight reductions will start at 4% and increase to 10% by next Friday. The reduction, which affects all commercial airlines, is scheduled between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. daily.
Why is this happening?
The agency said the cuts were necessary to ease pressure on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay for more than a month. Many work six days a week with mandatory overtime, and an increasing number have started calling in due to mounting financial strain and exhaustion.
“You can’t expect people to go to work if they’re not getting paid,” said Kelly Matthews of Flat Rock, Michigan, who travels frequently on business and has canceled most of her upcoming trips. “I mean, it’s not that they don’t want to do the work — but you can’t afford to pay for gas and day care and everything else.
The order comes as the Trump administration increases pressure on congressional Democrats to end the shutdown.
What can airlines do?
The airline said it would try to minimize the impact on customers. Some planned to focus on shortening routes to and from small and medium-sized cities, the AP reported.
According to the Department of Transportation, carriers are required to provide refunds to customers whose flights are canceled, but not to cover secondary costs such as meals and hotel accommodations, unless the delay or cancellation is due to a contributing factor within the airline’s control.
Passengers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Friday, November 7, 2025. Airlines across the U.S. have begun canceling flights scheduled for the coming days as the longest government shutdown in history upends air travel and forces thousands of passengers to change their travel plans. Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg
Industry analyst Henry Harteveldt warned that the cuts “will have a noticeable impact on the entire US air transportation system.”
The cuts could also slow package service because two of the airports on the list are major distribution centers for delivery companies: FedEx in Memphis, Tennessee, and UPS in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of a deadly cargo plane crash this week.
(With inputs from AP, Politico)
