More than 1,400 flights are canceled Monday, the fourth day of disruptions imposed by federal transportation officials amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
About 5.5% of flights are affected ‒ more than the 4% of cuts presently ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration to offset an air traffic controller shortage. Cuts are scheduled to step up to 10% by Nov. 14, but it’s unclear whether a resolution to end the shutdown, which is expected this week, will make a difference.
Not all current cancellations are because of government-mandated flight cuts. A winter storm has slammed the Chicago area, impacting flights at both Chicago Midway and Chicago O’Hare. Aviation experts had told USA TODAY that weather could exacerbate delays and cancellations.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Sunday that air travel disruptions would spread.
“It’s only going to get worse,” Duffy said in an interview with CNN. “I look to the two weeks before Thanksgiving, you’re going to see air travel be reduced to a trickle.”
More than 2,600 flights were canceled on Sunday, making it the fourth-worst day for cancellations since January 2024, according to Cirium, the aviation analytics company. Just over 60% of flights left on time and 30% had delays of more than 30 minutes, Cirium reported.
Lawmakers reached a deal Sunday to end the shutdown, two sources familiar with the matter told USA TODAY late Sunday.
But the government isn’t reopening yet as lawmakers in Congress still have a winding logistical road before they can actually turn the lights back on.
Here are the latest updates:
President Donald Trump said the country would be “getting the finest air traffic system anywhere in the world” in the next two or three weeks. 
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on the afternoon of Nov. 10, Trump said companies including IBM and Raytheon were bidding to build the new infrastructure.  
“…We’re going to pick the best one, and it’ll get built relatively quickly, and we’re going to have the greatest air traffic control system anywhere in the world,” he said. 
Trump did not provide further details. 
− BrieAnna Frank
A slew of major airports were not accepting private planes on Monday, creating additional disruptions to air travel nationwide.
The restrictions will only add to the nationwide air travel disruptions. Private jets make up roughly one in six flights handled by the FAA, according to a 2023 environmental impact report by the Institute for Policy Studies. 
The affected airports include: 
“Above all, this moment underscores the need to reopen the government to serve all Americans,” Ed Bolen, president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), said in a Nov. 9 news release about the restrictions. “NBAA stands with the rest of the aviation community in calling upon Congress to end the shutdown immediately, and for the NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen) to be repealed when the government reopened.” 
− BrieAnna Frank 
Southwest Airlines said it was cutting more than 250 flights scheduled for early this week due to ongoing air traffic restrictions issued during the federal government shutdown.
“We have now reduced our flight schedule through Tuesday across 34 of the more than 117 airports we serve, taking steps to protect the health of our crew network and prevent further unplanned cancellations,” Southwest said in a Nov. 9 statement. “For Monday, we removed roughly 140 flights from the schedule, climbing to 155 on Tuesday to meet the FAA’s requirements.”
Southwest did not specify which 34 airports would be impacted by its cancellations.
USA TODAY has reached out to Southwest to confirm exactly how many flights would be canceled on Nov. 10, 11 and 12.
‒ Mary Walrath-Holdridge, Natalie Neysa Alund
Delta Air Lines announced that it canceled nearly 500 flights under a government directive during the shutdown and that all cancellations through Nov. 12 have been completed.
The airline canceled 280 mainline flights and 215 Delta Connection regional flights. Additional delays and cancellations may still be needed to cope with air traffic control restrictions.
“Delta teams continue to safely manage our operation and care for customers who have experienced cancelations and delays,” the airline said in a statement.
‒ Bart Jansen
The restrictions on commercial flights have sparked calls for transportation officials to curb private air travel. Private jets make up approximately one of every six flights handled by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to a 2023 report from the Institute for Policy Studies on the environmental impact of these flights.
New restrictions on private air travel went into effect on Monday, according to National Business Aviation Association President and CEO Ed Bolen. Bolen said the restrictions will “effectively prohibit business aviation operations” at 12 of the nation’s busiest airports.
While some reports have characterized the restrictions as targeting private jets, Dan Hubbard, an association spokesperson, said most of these flights are conducted by small and mid-sized businesses. Hubbard said the airplanes are typically not jets, but rather turboprop and piston airplanes flying to and from smaller airports. 
The FAA did not immediately respond to questions about how the new restrictions will affect private jet flights but said it will allow exceptions to the general aviation restrictions for emergency operations, medical transport, law enforcement activities, and other necessary missions.”
President Donald Trump threatened to dock the pay of air traffic controllers who don’t report to work, after the Senate reached a compromise to end the government shutdown.
“All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!!” Trump said on social media Nov. 10. “Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially ‘docked.’”
Air traffic controllers continued working without paychecks during the shutdown. But some failed to show up, leading to the flight disruptions across the country.
Earlier in November, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said 20% to 40% of controllers were not showing up for work on any given day, Reuters reported.
A growing number of controllers have also retired since the federal shutdown began on October 1, Duffy said. The FAA is 1,000 to 2,000 controllers short of full staffing, he told CNN.
Trump urged the controllers who didn’t show up for work to quit. And he pledged to recommend $10,000 bonuses to controllers who continued working.
“For those Air Traffic Controllers who who were GREAT PATRIOTS, and didn’t take ANY TIME OFF for the ‘Democrat Shutdown Hoax,’ I will be recommending a BONUS of $10,000 per person for distinguished service to our Country,” Trump said. “For those that did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU.”
‒ Bart Jansen
Overall, flying remains safe, but the FAA has warned that safety-related incidents, particularly instances when aircraft got closer together than they should have, either on the ground or in the air, have increased since the shutdown started. 
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that’s part of the reason he ordered the traffic reduction, so this measure should boost safety as the nation heads into the busy Thanksgiving travel period. 
“Seeing a 10% cut on the 40 largest airports, my initial reaction is this is going to impact millions of travelers and it’s unfortunate, but if it’s what needs to be done for the safety of travelers, there’s no question, it’s the right decision,” Hayley Berg, lead economist at online booking platform Hopper, told USA TODAY.
‒ Zach Wichter
Even if lawmakers finalize a deal to reopen the government this week, travelers shouldn’t expect an instant return to normal at the nation’s airports.
Flights have already been reduced at 40 of the country’s busiest airports to offset air traffic controller shortages, and experts warn those disruptions will linger long after the shutdown officially ends.
“There’s going to be extensive disruption across the entire nation’s air transportation system,” Henry Harteveldt, an airline industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, an independent travel analytics firm, told USA TODAY. And the consequences could last longer than the shutdown. 
‒ Eve Chen
In the CNN appearance, Duffy warned that holiday travel could be impacted if the shutdown remains in place.
“We have a number of people who want to get home for the holidays, they want to see their families, they want to celebrate this great American holiday,” Duffy said. “Listen, many of them are not going to be able to get on an airplane, because there are not going to be that many flights that fly unless this thing doesn’t open back up.”
On Nov. 7, he said that restrictions could jump to 15% or even 20% of all scheduled flights. Officials initially said travelers would see a 10% reduction in flights at 40 major airports last week. 
Duffy and other aviation officials have said the restrictions are necessary to ensure safety while air traffic controllers are understaffed, a strain exacerbated by the shutdown.
− Kathryn Palmer
The shutdown deal, agreed to by at least eight Senate Democrats, includes reversals of federal layoffs, a promised vote in the future on Obamacare subsidies, and fully reopening the government through Jan. 30.
It was the first time in more than a month that congressional Republicans succeeded in persuading a sizable number of their colleagues across the aisle to join them in supporting a shutdown off-ramp.
The FAA-ordered cuts to flights was one of the most public, high-profile impacts of the shutdown.
− Zachary Schermele
Two USA TODAY reporters flew during the restrictions on Sunday, Nov. 9.
Nathan Diller and Eve Chen faced disparate experiences in the skies, with Diller reporting that traveling from Nashville to Fort Lauderdale was “as smooth as any before the shutdown” while Chen’s flight from Atlanta to Miami landed three hours later than initially scheduled.
See what it was like in the restricted skies:
The FAA has selected the following airports for the gradual increase in cancellations:

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