We are mere weeks from the incredibly busy holiday travel season and the longest U.S. government shutdown in history shows no signs of ending. And now, starting on November 7, the Federal Aviation Administration will cancel 10% of flights at 40 major airports.
The current shutdown started on September 30 and has already beat the last longest shutdown ever that occurred during Trump’s first administration. At that time, pressure over air travel disruptions and elsewhere forced the government to reach a compromise.
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Traveler tips
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If you are planning on traveling you can help yourself by prepping during the three phases of travel.
Before your trip download your airline’s app and turn on notifications for real-time updates. You can also check the airline’s website or a flight-tracking site before leaving.
Be aware of your the airlines policies, some of which I’ll cover below especially surrounding waivers and refunds.
When booking consider early or nonstop flights as they will usually depart on time and nonstop flights, while more expensive in general, are less likely to feature a missed flight. Also, you can explore a refundable backup ticket on a different airline or consider alternative transportation like trains, busses or a road trip.
In a non-shutdown world you can usually get away with arriving 45 minutes before the flight departs. Now, we recommend sticking to the two hour arrival time for domestic flights and three before international ones.
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If possible consider avoiding checking a bag as it can complicate rebooking if that becomes necessary.
Finally, if your flight is cancelled, make sure you can quickly rebook. Try calling the airline, use the airline’s app or website or reach out customer service social media accounts. If you’re at the airport try to speak with an agent while trying other methods as you wait.
What the airlines are doing
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Most airlines have promised that they will attempt to cancel flights with the least disruption based on the size of the plane, how full it is and its route.
For example, Alaska, Delta and United have all promised that their international flights will not be cancelled. Additionally, United says that it will not cancel flights between its seven hub airports: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, N.J., San Francisco and Washington D.C.
Some airlines have already posted flight changes and cancellations. You can see a list of all the cancelled flights at the United link above, for instance. All of the major airlines are saying that they will work to alert travelers about cancelled flights as soon as possible through their apps, websites and booking information.
Companies like Alaska, JetBlue, and Southwest have said that most customers will automatically be rebooked if their flight is cancelled. Though you can cancel for a refund.
Since 2009, the Department of Transportation has ruled that customers on significantly delayed or cancelled flights who don’t accept a rebooking are entitled to a full refund, even if their ticket was nonrefundable.
That rules apparently still apply during the shutdown and some airlines are trying to make it easier to deal with. American Airlines, for example, is waiving change fees and refunding affected passengers. Similarly, Delta is letting people change or cancel flights for free. United has said that the airline will refund cancelled flights and waive change fees for people who rebook.
“If your new trip is after November 3, 2026, or is to a different destination, we’ll still waive any change fees but you might have to pay a fare difference depending on the flight,” the United FAQ page reads.
As we get deeper into the shutdown, these policies could change so be sure to read the policies and keep an eye on apps or websites.
What travelers need to know
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Major U.S. airlines are already warning travelers that they may need to be more flexible this holiday season, an added stress to an already blood-pressure raising situation.
Still, if you are planning to travel its recommended that you download whatever airline your using’s official app. Especially if flights are cancelled, you’re going to want to rebook as soon as possible.
In the last few months Google has rolled out a number of features to help travelers including new AI-powered tools in Google Flights. Flights Deals is meant to help travelers save on flights while using natural language to book travel.
Additionally, at the end of October Google Wallet got the ability to track your flights in real-time, so you’ll know if your flight is cancelled or on track.
Already have travel booked? Part of being flexible is deciding whether or not you should cancel now and try again at less fraught time. Otherwise, try to make sure your flights are fully refundable or add travel insurance.
Also note that some travel insurance policies have a “known event clause” or “reasonably forseeable events” specifically for things like natural disasters or political crises.
FAA flight reductions: Affected airports
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According to a report from FAA here are the 40 major airports affected by the cuts:
- Anchorage International (ANC)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
- Boston Logan International (BOS)
- Baltimore/Washington International (BWI)
- Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG)
- Dallas Love (DAL)
- Reagan Washington National (DCA)
- Denver International (DEN)
- Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)
- Newark Liberty International (EWR)
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL)
- Honolulu International (HNL)
- Houston Hobby (HOU)
- Washington Dulles International (IAD)
- George Bush Houston Intercontinental (IAH)
- Indianapolis International (IND)
- New York John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
- Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS)
- Los Angeles International (LAX)
- New York LaGuardia (LGA)
- Orlando International (MCO)
- Chicago Midway (MDW)
- Memphis International (MEM)
- Miami International (MIA)
- Minneapolis/St. Paul International (MSP)
- Oakland International (OAK)
- Ontario International (ONT)
- Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
- Portland International (PDX)
- Philadelphia International (PHL)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)
- San Diego International (SAN)
- Louisville International (SDF)
- Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA)
- San Francisco International (SFO)
- Salt Lake City International (SLC)
- Teterboro (TEB)
- Tampa International (TPA)
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