by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:25 AM ET, Wed October 29, 2025
Update: October 29, 2025, at 2:40 p.m. ET
As the government shutdown continues, over 2,000 flights
were delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday, as of 2:35
p.m. ET, according to FlightAware.com.
In total, there have been over 22,000 flight delays since Sunday.
Update: October 29, 2025, at 9:20 a.m. ET
The continued shutdown of the United States Government continues
to impact air travel across the country, with major airports in key
destinations reporting staffing shortages as employees failed to receive their
paychecks.
According to FlightAware.com, over 580 flights within, into,
or out of the U.S. have been delayed so far on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, a
total of 4,541 flights in the U.S. were delayed.
As the American government continues to fail employees from
the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration,
travelers are feeling the impact at key transportation hubs.
Since Sunday, there have been more than 20,000 flight delays
due to staffing shortages, including in air traffic control towers.
Update: October 28, 2025, at 1:40 p.m. ET
As politicians continue infighting over the ongoing shutdown
of the United States Government, the aviation industry has taken a massive hit,
as Tuesday marked the first missed paycheck for Federal Aviation Administration
and Transportation Security Administration employees.
According to FlightAware.com,
over 2,000 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. on Tuesday were delayed.
There have been more than 18,000 delays over the last three days due to
staffing shortages, including in the air traffic control towers around the country.
National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick
Daniels held a press conference to urge the government to end the shutdown:
Update: October 28, 2025, at 8:15 a.m. ET
The continued shutdown of the United States government entered
day 28 on Tuesday, wreaking havoc on airlines and airports across the country.
According to FlightAware.com, over
500 flights scheduled for Tuesday have already been delayed due to staff
shortages, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports that air
traffic controller absences are surging.
On Monday, the FAA imposed ground delay programs at several major
American airports, including Newark Airport in New Jersey, Austin Airport in
Texas, and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
In total, 7,205 flight delays were reported within, into, or
out of the U.S. on Monday, with another 160+ flights canceled. The impact on
air travel is expected to continue as long as the government shutdown persists.
Update: October 27, 2025, at 2:45 p.m. ET
The continued government shutdown is ravaging air travel, as
more than 3,100 flights were delayed across the United States so far on Monday.
According to FlightAware.com as of 2:40 p.m. ET, there were 3,192
total delays within, into, or out of the U.S. on Monday, with another 118
flights being canceled. On Sunday, a total of 8,795 U.S. flights were delayed.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said staffing
shortages were impacting flights across the Southeast and at Newark Airport in
New Jersey. The lack of air traffic controllers also forced a temporary
groundstop at Los Angeles International Airport, which delayed flights by at
least 25 minutes.
Update: October 27, 2025, at 8:25 a.m. ET
On Sunday, FlightAware.com
reported that more than 8,000 flights across the United States were delayed as air
traffic controller absences caused by the ongoing government shutdown.
On Saturday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy
revealed that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) staffing issues at 22
locations resulted in flight delays and cancellations, a trend which would
continue until the shutdown ended, according to Reuters.
As of Monday at 8:20 a.m. ET, FlightAware.com reported that
over 800 flights in the U.S. had been delayed so far, with another 360 being
canceled. Monday’s numbers are expected to continue climbing throughout the day
as issues with air traffic controllers continue.
The shutdown of the United States Government continues to
impact travel, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that air
traffic control staffing issues have delayed flights at airports in New York,
Washington, Newark, and Houston.
According to Reuters.com,
FAA officials revealed on Thursday night that ground stops were issued at George
Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and Newark Liberty International
Airport outside New York City due to staffing shortages.
In addition, flights at Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National
Airport and New York’s LaGuardia Airport were experiencing significant delays,
while staffing issues were reported at 10 different cities.
According to FlightAware.com, over 6,000 flights were
delayed in the U.S. on Thursday, and another 900-plus had been delayed on
Friday morning, as of 9 a.m. ET. Alaska Airlines was also dealing with the
aftermath of a technical
issue on Friday that increased the total number of flight cancellations.
In total, an estimated 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are currently working without
pay due to the ongoing government shutdown.
In response, President Donald Trump and his administration have
expressed concern that delays and cancellations could increase ahead of the
busy upcoming holiday season as the government shutdown continues and employees
start missing paychecks.
“We fear there will be significant flight delays,
disruptions, and cancellations in major airports across the country this
holiday season,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “If
Democrats continue to shut down the government, they will also be shutting down
American air travel.”
In 2019, a 35-day government shutdown led to a high number
of absences among controllers and TSA officers due to missed paychecks,
resulting in longer checkpoint wait times at airports and flight delays.
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