These 40 Airports Will Reduce Flights Due to FAA Cuts-Here's What You Need to Know

""We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely," FAA administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement. "The FAA will continue to closely monitor operations, and we will not hesitate to take further action to make sure air travel remains safe.""

"Travelers should also plan to arrive at the airport extra early due to potential delays at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints (both air traffic controllers and TSA officers are currently working without a paycheck). At Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), for example, airport officials anticipated security wait times could exceed one hour. As of early Friday afternoon, there were more than 1,800 delays within, into, or out of the U.S. and more than 800 flight cancellations, according to flight tracker FlightAware."

Government shutdown-related staffing gaps prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to impose progressive flight reductions across 40 major U.S. airports, starting with a 4 percent cut and escalating to 10 percent by Nov. 14. The FAA cited system stress and said it would monitor operations and act further if needed to maintain safety. Travelers face widespread cancellations and delays, with more than 1,800 delays and over 800 cancellations reported early Friday and 600+ cancellations already slated for Saturday. Airports warned of extended TSA waits, and major carriers implemented flexible cancellation, refund, and rebooking policies to assist passengers.

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