America’s airports are grinding to a halt as the government shutdown sends shockwaves through the skies.
By 10:45 a.m. ET Thursday, more than 1,615 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were delayed, and 49 canceled, according to FlightAware.com.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it’s now operating under a flight reduction plan, slashing air travel capacity by 10% at 40 airports nationwide — a move that’s already leaving travelers stranded and airlines scrambling.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned the chaos could get worse before it gets better.
“Now, does that mean there’s going to be no delays? No,” Duffy told Fox & Friends. “There’s potentially still going to be delays if we have staffing triggers, and we don’t have enough controllers in an aerospace where we did cut 10%.”
We are assessing the risk in the airspace. Delays and cancellations will be based on which controllers are coming to work.
Reducing 10% of flight volume will reduce the pressure on controllers, while prioritizing safety, and getting more flights out on time. pic.twitter.com/AbMyfyJCV0
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 6, 2025
With air traffic controllers stretched thin, airlines are updating policies and warning passengers to brace for turbulence — not in the air, but on the ground.
More over at Fox News:
Read more: https://t.co/RbvwnYRsHo
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 6, 2025
