The United States is facing unprecedented travel chaos as a record-breaking government shutdown forces the cancellation and delay of thousands of flights, throwing passengers' plans into disarray and raising serious concerns for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Nationwide Travel Disruption
More than 2,000 flights have been cancelled or delayed across the country's busiest airports, creating a ripple effect of disruption for travellers. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated these cuts in response to critical staff shortages, as hundreds of thousands of federal workers, including air traffic controllers, have gone without pay for 38 days.
This shutdown, which began over a month ago due to a political impasse between Republicans and Democrats over government spending, has now become the longest in US history. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that flight reductions could increase to affect 20% of operations at 40 key airports if the situation continues.
Passenger Stories and Growing Concerns
The human impact of these disruptions is already significant. One woman shared her experience with Metro, explaining that her fiancé's flight from Reno to Las Vegas was severely delayed. "His flight didn't leave until 10pm," she said, claiming this was because "Las Vegas had no air traffic controller. All flights to Las Vegas were grounded."
The woman, who is due to fly next week, expressed her anxiety about potentially missing a Halsey concert in Denver, Colorado, if her flight faces similar issues. She told Metro: "I'm stressed because if my flight is delayed or cancelled, I will miss my Halsey concert."
Her concerns extend beyond personal plans, adding: "If this isn't fixed by then I can't imagine how many people will lose money and family time due to cancelled or delayed flights."
Thanksgiving Travel Under Threat
The protracted shutdown has sparked particular alarm about the Thanksgiving holiday on November 27, traditionally the busiest travel period in the United States as millions of people fly to visit family across the vast country.
Secretary Duffy explained to Fox News that the decision to cut flights followed "more breaches" of safety protocols, including incidents involving the minimum distance between aircraft and increased tarmac incursions. Pilots have reported encountering stressed or less responsive air traffic controllers amid the staffing crisis.
Duffy warned: "If this shutdown doesn't end relatively soon, the consequence of that is going to be more controllers don't come to work, and then we're going to have to continue to assess the pressure in the airspace and make decisions that may again move us from 10% to 15%, maybe to 20%."
Airlines Struggle to Cope
Major carriers are feeling the strain of the government-ordered cuts. American Airlines reported that approximately 12,000 customers had flights cancelled today, affecting around 220 flights under the FAA's directive. Despite these reductions, the airline expects to operate about 6,000 flights and stated that most affected passengers have been "rebooked and reaccommodated."
Tracking data reveals the scale of disruption at other major carriers, with Delta Air Lines showing 851 cancellations for today, 670 scheduled for tomorrow, and 274 already listed for Sunday.
The affected airports include 40 "high-impact" facilities across the nation, from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
As airlines and passengers alike demand an end to the government closure, the political standoff shows no immediate signs of resolution, leaving travellers facing uncertainty during what should be one of the most joyful travel periods of the year.
