More than 1,000 flights canceled on second day of cuts tied to government shutdown | US federal government shutdown 2025

U.S. airlines once again canceled more than 1,000 flights on Saturday, the second day of the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to reduce air traffic due to the government shutdown.

So far, the slowdown at many of the country’s busiest airports has not caused widespread disruption. But it has further deepened the impact of what is now the nation’s longest federal shutdown.

“We all travel. We all have somewhere to go,” said Emmy Holguin, 36, who left Miami on Saturday to visit family in the Dominican Republic for a week. “I hope the government will deal with this issue.”

Analysts warn that if cancellations accelerate and move closer to the Thanksgiving holiday, the upheaval will intensify and be felt far beyond air travel.

There are already concerns about the impact on tourism-dependent cities and businesses, and the possibility of shipping disruptions that could delay holiday products getting on store shelves.

What you need to know about flight discounts:

More than 1,000 flights were canceled in the first two days of the FAA slowdown, according to the website FlightAware, which tracks flight disruptions.

On Saturday, a typically slow travel day, the airport serving Charlotte, North Carolina, was by far the hardest hit, with 120 inbound and outbound flights canceled as of noon.

Airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver and Orlando, Florida were among the places experiencing the most disruption. Staff shortages in Charlotte and Newark, New Jersey, also slowed traffic.

Not all of the cancellations are due to the FAA’s order, and these numbers represent only a small portion of overall flights nationwide. However, if the slowdown continues, it is certain that there will be increases in the coming days.

The discounts, which affect all commercial airlines, will start at 4% of flights at 40 targeted airports and increase again on Tuesday before reaching 10% of flights on Friday, the FAA said.

US transport secretary Sean Duffy has warned that further flight disruptions may be necessary if the government shutdown continues and more air traffic controllers become unemployed.

Air traffic controllers did not receive their salaries for nearly a month due to the ongoing closure; This resulted in many people being called in sick, further exacerbating existing staff shortages.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said most controllers work mandatory overtime six days a week without pay, and some take second jobs to pay the bills.

Many passengers were relieved to learn that airlines largely stuck to schedule on Friday, and those whose flights were canceled were able to quickly rebook. So far, there has been no interruption in long-term international flights.

There’s still a lot of uncertainty about which flights will be canceled next.

Heather Xu, 46, who was in Miami on Saturday after the cruise and flew home to Puerto Rico, said not everyone can afford to pay for a hotel or deal with last-minute blackouts.

“Travel is stressful enough. Then you throw out those disruptions and it really makes everything harder,” he said.

Rental car companies reported a sharp increase in one-way bookings on Friday, with some people canceling flights altogether.

Other repercussions of the slowdown in air traffic may include higher prices in stores; because nearly half of all U.S. air freight is sent in the bellies of passenger planes.

Patrick Penfield, professor of supply chain practices at Syracuse University, said major flight disruptions could lead to higher shipping costs that are passed on to consumers.

Elevate Aviation Group CEO Greg Raiff said that if the slowdown continues, more losses will be reflected in the economy, from tourism to manufacturing.

“This closure will impact everything from cargo planes to people being able to go to business meetings to tourists being able to travel,” he said. “It’s going to impact hotel taxes and city taxes. There’s a cascading effect from this event.”