The Federal Aviation Administration is preparing to impose flight capacity reductions across 40 of the nation's busiest airports as the government shutdown stretches beyond five weeks, creating staffing shortages among air traffic controllers. The cuts, which are expected to reach 10% at major hubs including Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York, could begin as early as Friday and escalate into next week, according to officials and industry executives familiar with the planning.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the reductions were necessary to maintain aviation safety as thousands of federal aviation employees continue to work without pay. "We're not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating," FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said Wednesday. "The system is extremely safe today and will be extremely safe tomorrow."
The reduction order is expected to affect both passenger and cargo operations. A list shared with airline officials and reviewed by CBS News includes major U.S. hubs such as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL), John F. Kennedy International (JFK), Los Angeles International (LAX), Chicago O'Hare (ORD), and Miami International (MIA). Freight-heavy airports including Louisville (SDF), Memphis (MEM), Anchorage (ANC) and Ontario, California (ONT) are also listed. Bedford said the cuts cover "high-volume markets" where controller shortages are most acute.
Air traffic controllers have worked since October 1 without pay, with many assigned mandatory overtime and six-day weeks. Absences have increased in recent days, industry officials said, pushing the system to what one airline operations director described as "a breaking point." Aviation analytics firm Cirium estimated that as many as 1,800 flights and 268,000 seats could be affected if the reductions remain in place.
Airlines began restructuring schedules Thursday and fielding a wave of customer inquiries. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a message to customers that the carrier "shares the FAA's goal of air safety" and would update schedules on a rolling basis. Southwest Airlines said it is "evaluating how the cuts will affect its schedule" and will notify travelers as plans are finalized.
If the shutdown continues into next week, reductions are expected to deepen. Reuters reported that airlines anticipate cutting about 4% of scheduled flights on Friday, rising to 5% Saturday, 6% Sunday and 10% by midweek. Industry analysts warned of holiday complications. "Unless government reopens, the drastic plan threatens to throw holiday plans into chaos for millions of Americans traveling for Thanksgiving," Reuters reported.
Some travelers have already urged airlines to provide early clarity. One passenger wrote on X in response to United: "Please, you and your fellow airlines - for Thanksgiving week - issue all cancellations at least a week in advance. Don't make people wait to find out if they can fly home for the holiday."
The FAA is expected to formally publish the capacity-reduction order and final list of affected airports later this week, after additional discussions with airline executives.
Proposed List of Affected Airports
(Alphabetical by airport code; list not yet final)
- Anchorage International (ANC)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
- Boston Logan International (BOS)
- Baltimore/Washington International (BWI)
- Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG)
- Dallas Love Field (DAL)
- Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA)
- Denver International (DEN)
- Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)
- Newark Liberty International (EWR)
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL)
- Honolulu International (HNL)
- Houston Hobby (HOU)
- Washington Dulles International (IAD)
- George Bush Houston Intercontinental (IAH)
- Indianapolis International (IND)
- John F. Kennedy International, New York (JFK)
- Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS)
- Los Angeles International (LAX)
- LaGuardia Airport, New York (LGA)
- Orlando International (MCO)
- Chicago Midway (MDW)
- Memphis International (MEM)
- Miami International (MIA)
- Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP)
- Oakland International (OAK)
- Ontario International (ONT)
- Chicago O'Hare International (ORD)
- Portland International (PDX)
- Philadelphia International (PHL)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)
- San Diego International (SAN)
- Louisville International (SDF)
- Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)
- San Francisco International (SFO)
- Salt Lake City International (SLC)
- Teterboro Airport (TEB)
- Tampa International (TPA)
