Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)
The FAA has ordered a 10% nationwide cut in flight capacity at 40 major U.S. airports due to staffing shortages worsened by the ongoing government shutdown, creating widespread risks of delays, cancellations, and congestion through the holiday travel season. 4% of flights will be cut on Friday, ramping up to 10% by November 14, 2025. The impact to McGhee-Tyson Airport is expected to be moderate-high since most flights go to hub airports. Travelers should monitor flights closely, favor major hub routes, arrive early, and keep refund documentation. For critical or business-related trips, build contingency time or alternate routing to maintain travel continuity.
Overview
As the U.S. federal government reaches day 37 of its shutdown, the FAA has taken the unprecedented step of ordering a 10% reduction in air-traffic capacity at approximately 40 of the nation’s highest-volume airports. The directive is driven by mounting fatigue and under-staffing among air-traffic controllers working without pay or adequate back-up.
Here’s how this development is affecting travelers — and what you can do to mitigate the risk.
What’s Happening
- The FAA, citing safety concerns amid controller shortages and overtime stress, informed major carriers the cuts would begin at roughly 4% this coming Friday, rising toward the full 10% threshold by November 14, 2025.
The airports include the busiest U.S. hubs: e.g., those serving New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta. Source - McGhee-Tyson Airport has a daily average of approximately 130 commercial flights. 13 flights could be removed as a result of the 10% reduction. Source
- Analytics firm Cirium estimates up to 1,800 flights and approximately 268,000 seats per day may be cut nationwide if the full reduction is implemented.
- Most international long-haul flights and core hub-to-hub services are less likely to be cut; instead, carriers are likely to reduce domestic regional and non-hub routes first.
- Delays, re-routing, increased connection risk and congestion may affect many travelers who don’t even fly into the 40 designated airports.
Impacts for Travelers
- Flight cancellations & schedule changes: If your flight is on one of the non-core routes or between smaller airports, you may face cancellations or downgrades in service sooner. Even if your flight remains intact, make no assumption of “business as usual.” For example, carriers are already notifying customers of refunds or changes for non-hub routes.
- Delays and airport wait times could worsen: With fewer available flights (fewer gate slots, fewer air-traffic slots) but roughly the same demand, expect longer waits for connections. Security checkpoint lines may not ease either, as staffing for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is also under strain.
- Higher risk during peak travel windows: With the upcoming holiday season (e.g., Thanksgiving) in the U.S., even a small reduction in capacity could cascade into large-scale disruption as flight loads tighten and flexibility shrinks. 
- Geographic/route asymmetries: If your travel originates or connects through one of the high-volume airports listed (e.g., ATL, ORD, LAX, DCA/IAD) you are at greater risk of disruption.
Recommendations for Travelers
- Arrive early: Given potential security delays, arrive at least 2 hours before domestic flights and 3 hours for international.
- Monitor your flight proactively as changes are happening quickly. Use your airline’s app, enable push/text alerts, and check email often.
- Have contingency plans & be flexible: If your trip is critical, plan alternate routes (e.g., fly into/out of a less-busy hub), allow extra buffer time for connections or scheduled events either side of your travel, ensure you know your lodging options should you become stranded, and avoid booking marginal regional routes if your schedule is mission-critical.
- Know your refund rights and check the fine print: If your flight is cancelled, delayed (domestic greater than a 3 hour delay, international greater than a 6 hour delay), or significantly changed, you may be able to opt not to travel and seek a full refund. Keep records of any change notifications from the carrier.
- Travel insurance caveats: Be aware that many standard travel-disruption policies may not cover a government-shutdown-driven event, since it’s now foreseen. Check your policy’s fine print, especially “common-carrier” disruption coverage.
- Consider travel postponement: If your trip has flexible timing or non-critical objectives, you may choose to delay until the disruption subsides and capacity returns to normal.
- Document everything: In case you need to make a claim (refund, insurance, expenses), keep all communications from the airline, receipts, change logs.
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