Flight cancellations today: U.S. government shutdown impacts American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines. What will happen ahead of Thanksgiving holiday?

U.S. flights will be reduced to "a trickle" in the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday as the federal shutdown continues because of rising air traffic control staffing shortages, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in remarks that aired on Sunday. Major airlines were dealing with a third day of government-mandated flight cuts after thousands of delays and cancellations snarled traffic on Saturday. The Federal Aviation Administration instructed airlines to cut 4% of daily flights starting on Friday at 40 major airports because of air traffic control safety concerns. Reductions in flights are mandated to reach 6% on Tuesday and then hit 10% by November 14.

U.S. government shutdown, which has reached a record 40 days, has led to shortages of air traffic controllers who, like other federal employees, have not been paid for weeks. Millions of people usually travel in the run-up to Thanksgiving, one of the most important U.S. holidays, which this year falls on November 27.

The cuts, which began on Friday morning, include about 700 flights from the four largest carriers: American Airlines , Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. During the shutdown, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners have been forced to work without pay.


As of 10:30 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, there had already been 1,400 flight cancellations and 2,700 delays as conditions looked to be worsening. The Federal Aviation Administration said it had staffing issues at 12 towers.

Some 1,550 flights were canceled and 6,700 were delayed on Saturday, up from 1,025 cancellations and 7,000 delayed flights on Friday.

Airline officials privately said the number of delay programs made it nearly impossible to schedule and plan many flights and expressed alarm about how the system would function if staffing issues worsen.

The impact on air travel could hit U.S. economic growth, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said in an interview that aired on Sunday.

"Thanksgiving time is one of the hottest times of the year for the economy... and if people aren't traveling at that moment, then we really could be looking at a negative quarter for the fourth quarter," he told the CBS show "Face the Nation".

Airlines for America, which represents major carriers, said staffing issues had disrupted more than 4 million passengers' travel plans since October 1, when the shutdown began.

By next Friday, it estimated a daily U.S. economic impact of $285 million to $580 million.

FAQ

Q1. What is impact of U.S shutdown?
A1. By next Friday, it estimated a daily U.S. economic impact of $285 million to $580 million.

Q2. Which airlines are affected by US Shutdown?
A2. American Airlines , Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.