List of 40 Airports Cutting Flights Due to Government Shutdown
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered domestic airlines to reduce scheduled flights by 4 percent starting at 6 a.m. Eastern Time Friday, in 40 major U.S. airports, escalating to 10 percent beginning 14 November, as the federal government shutdown enters its fifth week.
According to the FAA’s directive, the airports targeted are “high-volume markets” where pressure on air-traffic controllers (ATCs) has intensified due to mandatory overtime, unpaid wages and growing staffing shortages.
The official list of affected airports includes hubs such as Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport, and all three major New York City-area airports.
List of 40 Airports Cutting Flights Due to Government Shutdown
The full list includes airports in more than two dozen states, and here's the complete list to help you with your next flight and schedule:
- Anchorage International in Alaska
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in Georgia
- Boston Logan International in Massachusetts
- Baltimore/Washington International in Maryland
- Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International in Kentucky
- Dallas Love Field in Texas
- Ronald Reagan Washington National in Virginia
- Denver International in Colorado
- Dallas/Fort Worth International in Texas
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County in Michigan
- Newark Liberty International in New Jersey
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International in Florida
- Honolulu International in Hawaii
- Houston Hobby in Texas
- Washington Dulles International in Virginia
- George Bush Houston Intercontinental in Texas
- Indianapolis International in Indiana
- John F. Kennedy International in New York
- Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas
- Los Angeles International in California
- LaGuardia Airport in New York
- Orlando International in Florida
- Chicago Midway International in Illinois
- Memphis International in Tennessee
- Miami International in Florida
- Minneapolis/St Paul International in Minnesota
- Oakland International in California
- Ontario International in California
- Chicago O`Hare International in Illinois
- Portland International in Oregon
- Philadelphia International in Pennsylvania
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International in Arizona
- San Diego International in California
- Louisville International in Kentucky
- Seattle/Tacoma International in Washington
- San Francisco International in California
- Salt Lake City International in Utah
- Teterboro in New Jersey
- Tampa International in Florida
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stated:
“We are in new territory in terms of government shutdowns … Our sole role is to make sure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible.”
The shutdown commenced 1 October, causing thousands of ATCs and Transportation Security Administration staff to work without compensation. The FAA estimates the system is short roughly 2,000 controllers from its target staffing level due to the funding lapse.
Airlines such as Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines began cancelling flights ahead of the directive, with United projecting thousands of seats affected over the three-day period.
The cutoff applies only to domestic passenger flights between about 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.; international operations and flights outside those peak hours are exempt for now.
The FAA cited fatigue reports and rising sick-calls among controllers as driving factors. “When they lose income they are confronted with real-world difficulties on how they pay their bills,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The shutdown has already led to a surge in delays. Flight‐tracking data show cancellations and postponements reaching their highest since the cessation of funding.
The cuts mark one of the first times the FAA has mandated flight reductions at this scale due to a funding lapse and illustrate how the shutdown is affecting core transportation infrastructure.
