People wait in the TSA security line inside the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. The airport is one of 40 expected to see a gradual reduction in flight operations.

Travelers around the country are bracing for the impacts of flight cancellations and reductions beginning Friday amid the ongoing record-breaking government shutdown.

Flight operations are ordered to be reduced by 4% at 40 major U.S. airports starting Friday, and will gradually increase to 10% over a week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced. The cuts will rise to 5% Saturday and 6% Sunday, putting many Americans on edge over the potential for delays and long security lines over the weekend. The news comes just weeks before the busy holiday travel season begins.

Duffy said the cuts were necessary as a proactive step to keep flying safe in the country as the shutdown puts "strain on the system from both pilots and air traffic controllers," as controllers go without pay. The move wasn't about politics, but about safety, he said.

Here's what to expect as the cuts go into effect on Friday:

'It’s the right decision,' Transportation secretary says

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stopped by Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside of Washington, DC, Friday morning to talk with travelers and TSA workers.Some travelers yelled at Duffy as he exited the airport., telling him to get people back to work and push harder for an end to the government shutdown.Duffy called on Democrats to end the shutdown and defended the decision to cut flights.“We've relied on the experts at the FAA on the safety team to give us this advice,” he said. “It’s the right decision.”

−Karissa Waddick

How flight cuts could impact international travelers

At least two major carriers − United Airlines and Delta Air Lines − have said international flights will not be reduced, but that doesn’t mean those travelers are off scot-free.

Many travelers have to make domestic connections before or after long-haul flights, and aviation experts have told USA TODAY connecting passengers may face fewer options and longer layovers amid Federal Aviation Administration-directed cuts.

−Eve Chen

Airlines required to give refunds for cancellations

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Brian Bedford said in a statement that airlines would be required to issue full refunds but would not be required to cover secondary costs − the standard procedure when flight cancellations are not the carrier's fault.

Federal rules entitle airline passengers to a full refund if their flight is canceled or significantly delayed and they choose not to rebook.

Some airlines are also offering waivers that allow travelers to change their flights without paying change fees or fare differences. Major carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, have waivers in place related to the flight reduction.

‒N'dea Yancey-Bragg

Not just targeted airports to see issues

It's not just travelers at the 40 airports on the list that could see issues.

“There's going to be extensive disruption across the entire nation’s air transportation system,” said Henry Harteveldt, and airline industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, an independent travel analytics firm. And the consequences could last longer than the shutdown.

Passengers on connecting flights and crew members who would otherwise have continued on to other flights will also feel the ripple effect, experts told USA TODAY.

“For an airline to be told by the government they've got 36 or so hours to start dismembering their carefully built flight schedules doesn't give airlines a lot of time,” Harteveldt said.

Read more on what to expect.

‒Eve Chen

Airlines start announcing cuts

Airlines have begun releasing their planned cancellations for the first few days of operations reductions.

United, Delta, Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines on Thursday began canceling limited numbers of Friday flights in anticipation of the reduction plans. Alaska said it was working to ensure "smaller and remote communities ... reliant on air travel" would be protected and said in a statement posted on X that most cancellations would be on routes with a higher frequency of flights, "allowing most guests to be reaccommodated with as little disruption as possible."

Delta Airlines said it would cancel 170 flights on Friday. The airline usually operates about 5,000 flights per day, it said.

United said it would cut 4% of Friday's flights, which would total fewer than 200 cancellations nationwide as it operates about 4,500 flights each day. It has also released its schedules for Saturday and Sunday and urged travelers to check their flight statuses online or through its app. Even if your flight isn't canceled, you can get a refund for your trip if you don't want to fly, the company said.

How do I check if my flight is canceled?

Travelers shouldn’t wait until they’re already at the airport to learn whether they’re affected. The most important step, experts say, is to monitor your flight early and often.

Start by downloading your airline’s mobile app and turning on push and text notifications. Economist Hayley Berg from the travel booking company Hopper says travelers should be checking days in advance – not just the night before.

“If you have a flight scheduled or you’re scheduling one, sign up for text message notifications or sign up for alerts from the airline on the app on your phone,” Berg said. “A couple of days before your flight, just check in. Make sure that there haven’t been any changes that haven’t been communicated to you yet.”

Many airlines also offer a “Where’s My Plane?” feature in their apps. This lets you see whether the aircraft scheduled to operate your flight has arrived, is delayed en route, or hasn’t departed yet from its previous airport – an early signal of trouble.

−Josh Rivera

Even space launches are impacted by shutdown cuts

In addition to a 10% reduction in flights across 40 of the busiest airports, commercial space launches will also be given a curfew as of Monday, Nov 10.

"It is hereby ordered that, beginning at 6:00 a.m. EST on November 10, 2025, and until this Order is cancelled, Commercial space launches and reentries will only be permitted between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time," a Nov. 6 emergency order from the FAA states.

This comes at a time when Florida is nearing a record launch year. Some launches, such as Blue Origin's launch of the NASA ESCAPADE mission set for Sunday or a mission to the ISS, must go on time to send the spacecraft on the correct trajectory.

It remains to be seen how this will impact upcoming space launches.

−Brooke Edwards, Florida Today

Which airports are impacted by the cuts?

The FAA has selected the following airports for the gradual increase in cancellations:

  • ANC – Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
  • ATL – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
  • BOS – Boston Logan International Airport
  • BWI – Baltimore/Washington International Airport
  • CLT – Charlotte Douglas International Airport
  • CVG – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
  • DAL – Dallas Love Field
  • DCA – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
  • DEN – Denver International Airport
  • DFW – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
  • DTW – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
  • EWR – Newark Liberty International Airport
  • FLL – Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport
  • HNL – Honolulu International Airport
  • HOU – William P. Hobby Airport
  • IAD – Washington Dulles International Airport
  • IAH – George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport
  • IND – Indianapolis International Airport
  • JFK – New York John F. Kennedy International Airport
  • LAS – Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
  • LAX – Los Angeles International Airport
  • LGA – New York LaGuardia Airport
  • MCO – Orlando International Airport
  • MDW – Chicago Midway International Airport
  • MEM – Memphis International Airport
  • MIA – Miami International Airport
  • MSP – Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport
  • OAK – Oakland International Airport
  • ONT – Ontario International Airport
  • ORD – Chicago O’Hare International Airport
  • PDX – Portland International Airport
  • PHL – Philadelphia International Airport
  • PHX – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
  • SAN – San Diego International Airport
  • SDF – Louisville International Airport
  • SEA – Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
  • SFO – San Francisco International Airport
  • SLC – Salt Lake City International Airport
  • TEB – Teterboro Airport
  • TPA – Tampa International Airport

What to do if your flight gets delayed or canceled

If your flight is canceled, Scott Keyes, founder of Going, recommended using the airlines' mobile app to rebook as soon as possible. If passengers need to speak with someone by phone, Keyes suggested calling one of the carrier’s international lines.

"The best thing travelers can do is to be as proactive as possible switching to a new flight,” Keyes told USA TODAY. “When a flight gets canceled, all of a sudden hundreds of passengers need new itineraries. There may only be a handful of seats left on the best flights, and it's a first-come, first-(served) endeavor.”

If your flight is canceled for any reason, including a shortage of air traffic controllers, you’re entitled to a full refund if you choose not to fly on alternative itineraries offered by your airline. The same goes for “significant” delays or changes.

Contributing: Nathan Diller, Kathryn Palmer and Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FAA flight cuts begin at 40 airports. Live updates on cancellations, delays.

Reporting by Jeanine Santucci, Marc Ramirez and N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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