Upcoming flights slashed by 6% despite end of government shutdown
Teh article reports that flights in the United States are being reduced by 6% on Tuesday due to Federal Aviation Management (FAA) orders amid a government shutdown, despite signs the shutdown is nearing its end. Flight reductions began on Friday with a 4% cut at 40 high-traffic airports and are expected to increase to 8% by Thursday and 10% by Friday. The FAA implemented these cuts to ensure air travel safety amid a significant shortage of air traffic controllers, many of whom have abandoned their posts because they have missed two consecutive paychecks.this shortage has already resulted in 4,500 flight cancellations over the weekend. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that if the shutdown continues, air travel could be drastically reduced by Thanksgiving. President Donald Trump responded by promising $10,000 bonuses to controllers who stayed during the shutdown and penalties for those who left. Meanwhile, a funding measure to reopen the government until January 2026 has passed the Senate with bipartisan support but still requires a vote in the House of Representatives before the shutdown can officially end.
Airports see 6% flight reduction Tuesday, even as government shutdown winds down
Flights will be cut by 6% on Tuesday in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration orders, even though the government shutdown appears to be on the verge of ending.
On Friday, flights were already reduced by 4% in 40 “high traffic” airports across the country. By 6 a.m. Tuesday, that number increased to 6%, and will gradually increase to 8% on Thursday and 10% by Friday.
The FAA’s calculated measure of reducing flights will “reassure the American travelers that it is absolutely safe to fly in the American skies,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said, citing a significant nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers.
The government shutdown has led to air traffic controllers abandoning their posts, as Tuesday marks their second consecutive missed paycheck.
The shortage of air traffic controllers has already led to the cancellation of 4,500 flights this weekend alone, according to the flight tracker FlightAware.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reassured CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday that if the government shutdown were to continue, air travel could be “reduced to a trickle” by Thanksgiving.
Duffy added that during the shutdown, the number of air traffic controllers resigning from their posts has increased between 15 and 20 a day, in comparison to the four to five doing so beforehand.
President Donald Trump wrote on social media that the air traffic controllers who left their posts will be docked, and those who worked throughout the government shutdown will receive a $10,000 bonus on top of their missed paychecks.
After Duffy’s remarks, eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus aligned their votes with 42 of their Republican colleagues to pass a measure to fund and reopen the federal government until January 2026.
However, the House of Representatives must vote on the measure before it can receive the president’s signature — meaning the government shutdown may only last a few more days.
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