by Donald Wood
Last updated: 7:50 AM ET, Fri November 14, 2025
Update: November 14, 2025, at 7:55 a.m. ET
Despite the longest-ever government shutdown finally coming
to an end, air travel across the United States is still feeling the impact as
air traffic controllers finally receive a paycheck and start returning to work.
According to FlightAware.com, 608 flights within, into, or
out of the U.S. were canceled on Friday, as of 7:55 a.m. ET, with another 499
delayed. On Thursday, 1,036 flights were canceled and another 4,100 were
delayed.
The Department of Homeland Security also announced on
Thursday that TSA officers who went “above and beyond” during the 43-day
shutdown would receive a $10,000
bonus check.
*This article will no longer be updated. Check out
TravelPulse’s coverage of the travel
industry’s reaction to the end of the shutdown here.
Update: November 13, 2025, at 8:10 a.m. ET
The United States Government voted on Wednesday to end the 43-day
shutdown, passing a funding bill that will pay federal workers and force air
traffic controllers back to their positions.
According to The
Associated Press, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said flight
reductions at 40 major U.S. airports will remain at six percent instead of the
previously announced 10 percent, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
is expecting a “rapid decline” in air traffic controller callouts.
Duffy also said the six percent flight reduction cap will
remain in place until the air traffic system can safely return to normal
operations. Duffy said the “FAA safety team determines the trend lines are
moving in the right direction, we’ll put forward a path to resume normal
operations.”
Flight delays continued into Thursday, though, as FlightAware.com
is reporting that 990 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were canceled as
of 8:10 a.m. ET, while another 540 were delayed. On Wednesday, 992 flights were
canceled and 2,668 were delayed.
Update: November 12, 2025, at 7:55 a.m. ET
As the United States House of Representatives reconvenes to
end to the government shutdown, air travel continues to feel the impact, as more
air traffic controllers are calling out of work due to a lack of pay.
According to FlightAware.com,
882 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were canceled Wednesday morning,
with another 474 delayed. On Tuesday, a total of 1,264 flights were canceled
and 4,034 were delayed.
Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy commented
on the shutdown and the impact on air traffic controllers and their paychecks:
United Airlines CEO shared a thank you to its employees for
handling all of the disruptions with grace:
“I am writing to thank you for your extraordinary
performance over the last several days. Last week's FAA directive to cut
flights during the government shutdown, which we supported, came without much
notice and our team sprang into action – by the end of the day Thursday we had
already cut hundreds of flights scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And
many of you worked through the weekend as we planned additional cuts for this
week.”
“...And here's the proof: while this weekend had more FAA
staffing triggers than any day in history - Saturday alone saw more than 7,500
industry delays nationwide - the past week also produced our fourth, fifth and
sixth highest NPS days of the entire year and among the top 25 NPS days since
2022! It's extraordinary that some of our best NPS days *of the past four
years* came during one of the most operationally disruptive weeks of 2025.”
Update: November 11, 2025, at 2:05 p.m. ET
As the government still works to end the record shutdown, FlightAware is
reporting that 1,212 flights within, into, or out of the United States have
been canceled on Tuesday and another 2,127 have been delayed, as of 2:05 p.m.
ET.
Update: November 11, 2025, at 8:05 a.m. ET
As air travel in the United States continues to be a
nightmare, the Senate announced on Monday that it had passed a short-term
government funding bill before sending it to the House of Representatives.
According to ABCNews.com,
a vote in the House could come as early as Wednesday, with the bill providing
funding for the government through January 30 and for some government agencies
for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Flight issues are still plaguing U.S. airports, as FlightAware is
reporting that 1,177 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. have been canceled
and another 600+ have been delayed, as of 7:45 a.m. ET.
On Monday, 2,420 flights were canceled and another 9,385
were delayed, due in part to air traffic controllers missing work as a result
of the ongoing government shutdown.
During an interview on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump
spoke about the record-long government shutdown and his criticism of air
traffic controllers who have been calling out of work or taking second jobs.
“You know, a lot of people who showed up also had a second
job,” Trump told Fox News.
“They took a second job temporarily. But they all know the money’s coming, and
the money was coming.”
UPDATED: Lacey Pfalz, Associate Editor, on November 10, 2025 at 12:35 p.m. EST.
President Donald Trump publicized a message directly to overburdened air traffic controllers, who haven't been paid since October 14, telling them that "All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially 'docked,'" posted the president. "REPORT TO WORK IMMEDIATELY."
According to Reuters, the president floated giving out $10,000 bonuses to those air traffic controllers who didn't take any time off or call in sick during the government shutdown, but there are no concrete plans for either punishment or reward. Reuters also noted that shares for all major American airlines dropped after the president's social media post.
Federal Aviation Administration chief Bryan Bedford said around 20 to 40 percent of air traffic controllers were not showing up on any given day at the nation's 30 largest airports since the government shutdown began.
"We'll work with the administration on any issues that are out there," said National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels, responding to Trump's social media post. "Air traffic controllers will continue to show up during this shutdown."
As of noon on Monday, November 10, FlightAware is reporting 4,085 delays within the United States and 1,785 cancellations in the United States.
Original Text
As the United States government gets closer to ending the record-breaking
shutdown, air travel across some of the busiest airports in America is still
being heavily impacted, causing major delays and cancellations.
According to Reuters.com,
airlines in the U.S. were forced to cancel more than 2,800 flights on Sunday,
with another 10,200 being delayed due to government-mandated flight cuts as air
traffic control staffing shortages plague the nation’s aviation sector.
On Monday, 1,557 flights within, into, or out of the U.S.
were canceled as of 8 a.m. ET on Monday, with another 1,243 delayed so far,
according to FlightAware.com.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also warned of a major
negative impact on holiday travel congestion if the shutdown continues into the
Thanksgiving
holiday travel period.
American Airlines released a statement urging the government
to end the shutdown:
“Due to the prolonged government shutdown and nationwide
air traffic control staffing shortages, we, like most airlines, are
experiencing additional and widespread delays and cancellations across the
country today despite the advanced cancellations that the FAA required us to
make. We, again, urge leaders in Washington, D.C., to reach an immediate
resolution to end the shutdown.”
Delta Air Lines also released a statement about the impacted
flights on Sunday:
“Delta continues to comply with the FAA Directive to
reduce flying at 40 U.S. airports. All planned FAA-directed flight cancellations through Tuesday, Nov. 11 have been completed. Given compounding constraints
from additional Air Traffic Control staffing shortages and resulting delay
programs, additional delays and cancellations are expected Sunday.”
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