(CNN) — Millions of Americans expecting to fly this month could have their plans grounded weeks ahead of the holiday travel season if the longest government shutdown in US history drags on.
Starting Friday, the Trump administration will cut flights at 40 airports nationwide by 4% and incrementally increase the reduction to 10% by next Friday if the shutdown continues, according to an emergency order from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Several major airlines have preemptively canceled hundreds of flights scheduled for Friday and into the weekend. The cancellations will impact airlines like a busy weather day, one airline official told CNN. Unlike a storm, however, they will be spread across multiple cities as opposed to a geographic region.
Here’s what to know if the travel nightmare turns into reality Friday:
Which 40 airports will lose flights?
The reduction in flights will be restricted to 40 “high-volume traffic markets,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said. “We’re going to ask the airlines to work with us collaboratively to reduce their schedules.”
The list of airports mentioned in the FAA’s order issued Thursday includes New York City’s three major hubs – New York LaGuardia, New York John F. Kennedy International and Newark Liberty International. Other impacted airports in the Northeast include Boston Logan International, Philadelphia International and Teterboro in New Jersey.
Here are the airports in other regions that will see cuts beginning Friday:
Midwest: Indianapolis International, Chicago Midway International, Chicago O’Hare International, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County, Louisville International and Minneapolis-St. Paul International.
South: Charlotte Douglas International, Dallas Love Field, Dallas-Fort Worth International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Houston Hobby, George Bush Houston Intercontinental, Memphis International, Orlando International, Miami International and Tampa International.
DC area: Baltimore/Washington International, Washington Dulles International and Ronald Reagan Washington National.
West: Denver International, Las Vegas McCarran International, Los Angeles International, Oakland International, Ontario International, Portland International, Phoenix Sky Harbor International, San Diego International, Seattle/Tacoma International, San Francisco International and Salt Lake City International.
Hawaii and Alaska: Anchorage International and Honolulu International.
Many other airports could be impacted as well, since flights from the major cities where FAA cuts are mandated travel to smaller airports.
How many flights will be cut?
A 10% reduction in flights as mandated by the FAA could result in thousands of canceled flights a day – an unprecedented cut.
Canceled flights will increase over the next week, beginning with a 4% cut of flights starting Friday at 6 a.m., the FAA order said.
The cut will increase to 6% on Tuesday, then 8% on Thursday and up to 10% next Friday, the order says, if no deal is reached to end the government shutdown. Airlines will decide which specific flights to cut.
“We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” said FAA administrator Bedford in a statement from the Department of Transportation.
Which airlines have canceled flights on Friday?
While most major airlines said the impact would be limited, the four largest US airlines have preemptively canceled hundreds of flights.
Delta Air Lines has canceled around 170 regional and mainline flights that were scheduled on Friday, and more regional flights will be canceled, a spokesperson for the carrier told CNN.
United Airlines will preemptively cancel about 200 flights starting Friday, roughly 4% of the airline’s Friday schedule and comprising mostly regional flights. It will cancel about 4% again on Saturday and Sunday, the airline said.
American Airlines reduced flight schedules by 4% at 40 airports Friday through Monday, amounting to about 220 flights canceled each day, according to airline spokesperson Sarah Jantz. “Even with these cancellations, we plan to operate around 6,000 daily flights,” Jantz told CNN.
Around 100 Southwest Airlines flights will be canceled Friday, the airline said. A Southwest spokesperson urged Congress to “immediately resolve its impasse” and said the airline is determining the schedule adjustments needed to meet the FAA’s flight reductions.
I have travel plans in the coming days. What should I do?
“If you are flying Friday or in the next ten days and need to be there or don’t want to be stranded I highly recommend booking a backup ticket on another carrier,” Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle posted on Instagram.
“Don’t book a basic ticket. For example, book Economy on Frontier so you can reuse the ticket value as changes are free or you can get a credit,” Biffle wrote. “If your flight is cancelled your chances of being stranded are high so I would simply have a backup ticket on another airline.”
American, Delta, Southwest, United and Frontier are all offering waivers to allow passengers who do not want to fly to change their tickets without fees.
It’s also helpful to book directly with an airline instead of through a third-party website. That’s because if your flight gets canceled, you might have to deal with another party to resolve the problem.
And try to avoid booking flights with layovers, the US Public Interest Research Group says. The more planes you have to get on to reach your destination, the more chances you have for a flight to be delayed or canceled.
What if I’m stuck at another airport and my flight gets canceled? Will anyone pay for a hotel?
Airlines will be required to refund passengers for flight cancellations but they will not cover other costs like hotels, which the FAA notes is the normal procedure when an airline is not at fault for a delay or cancellation.
Why is all this happening?
The government shutdown, which started on October 1, has prevented many federal employees from getting paid.
Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration screeners are considered essential employees and are expected to go to work during the shutdown. But they’re not getting paid, and some have needed to find other sources of income to pay the bills.
“Controllers are resigning every day now because of the prolonged nature of the shutdown,” said Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. “We’re also 400 controllers short — shorter than we were in the 2019 shutdown.”
More than 450 staffing shortages have been reported at FAA facilities since the shutdown began, according to a CNN analysis.
If airports are short-staffed, is it still safe to fly?
The longer the shutdown continues, the more risks could emerge – especially as controllers go longer without pay, the union leader said earlier this week. But federal officials say reducing the number of flights will improve safety.
“Every single day that this goes on, tomorrow is now less safe than today,” Daniels told CNN.
But the newly announced flight cuts will help maintain safety, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.
“THIS is safety management, the very foundation of our aviation system, and it’s the right thing to do,” National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy posted on X.
“NTSB has repeatedly stated low air traffic control staffing levels, mandatory overtime, and six-day work weeks have a direct impact on #safety.”
CNN’s Alexandra Skores, Forrest Brown, Aaron Cooper, Tori B. Powell and David Williams contributed to this report.
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