Thousands of people could experience air travel disruption from Friday, November 7, 2025, as the government of the United States has announced a 10% flight cut at 40 major airports in the country.
The directive for a 10% flight cut, which will take effect from Friday, November 7, 2025, was announced by the U.S Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Duffy on Thursday cited safety concerns due to mounting pressure on unpaid air traffic controllers during the government shutdown as the reason for the move.
According to him, the shutdown, now in its 36th day, has left 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents working without pay.
“This is not a political decision, this was data-driven to make the right call to get ahead of any issues that could happen in airspace that could have negative consequences,” Duffy said while addressing the press on Thursday.
“As we come into Thanksgiving, if we’re still in the shutdown posture, it’s going to be rough out there, really rough.
“We’ll mitigate the safety side. But will you fly on time? Will your flight actually go? That is yet to be seen, but there’ll be more disruption.”
Also, the U.S Federal Administration Agency has stated that a 10% flight cut is necessary to maintain safety during the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Bryan Bedford, the FAA administrator, said the flight reductions are intended to keep the airspace safe during the shutdown.
“I’m not aware of my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” Bedford said. “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.
“Our sole role is to make sure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible. Reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations. This is not based on light airline travel locations. This is about where the pressure is and how to really deviate the pressure,” Bedford added.
Already, U.S airlines have begun to react to the new 10% flight cut, sending messages to travelers.
Some major U.S airlines have announced that they will be waiving fees for travelers who want to cancel or change their upcoming flights due to Friday’s looming cuts to 10% of air traffic at 40 major airports.
In a notice to passengers, Delta Air Lines is allowing passengers “to change, cancel or refund their flights, including… basic economy fares, without penalty.”
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby announced in a letter to employees last night that “any customer traveling during this period is eligible for a refund if they do not wish to fly – even if their flight isn’t impacted. That includes non-refundable tickets and those customers with basic economy tickets.”
And American Airlines said in a statement: “Disrupting customers’ plans is the last thing we want to do. To provide additional flexibility during the impacted travel period, customers whose flights are cancelled for any reason or who choose not to travel will be able to change their flight or request a refund, without any penalty.”
The upcoming 10% flight cut comes as the U.S federal government is currently in a shutdown, which began on October 1, 2025, after Congress failed to pass appropriations legislation for the new fiscal year.
The ongoing government shutdown is already the longest in US history. An estimated 900,000 federal employees have been furloughed, and approximately 2 million more are working as “excepted” personnel without pay.
It was gathered that the deadlock is due to partisan disagreements over federal spending levels, including foreign aid rescissions, and the extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance subsidies. Democrats are insisting on the ACA subsidies, while Republicans refuse to negotiate on the policy until the government is funded.
