Travelers wait in the TSA line Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Indianapolis International Airport.

Flight disruptions appear to be stabilizing after the end of the U.S. government shutdown, after reductions to aviation operations caused chaos for travelers.

Cancellations were comparatively low on Nov. 14, with 615 scrapped flights and about 850 delays as of around noon ET, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. At most major airports listed, cancellations were below 6%.

Cuts to flights at 40 major airports around the country were originally set to increase from 6% to 8% earlier this week, but the Department of Transportation said the former number would stay in place as the Federal Aviation Administration assessed "whether the system can gradually return to normal operations."

"There has been a rapid decline in (air traffic) controller callouts, with only eleven staffing triggers on Tuesday, November 11 and four staffing triggers today from a high of 81 on November 8," the DOT said in a Nov. 12 news release. “Such strong staffing levels suggest a further ramp up in-flight reductions are not necessary to keep the traveling public safe. As the federal government reopens and controllers receive their backpay, the FAA will continue to monitor staffing levels and review key trend lines.”

Some major airlines still have waivers in place as of Nov. 14, allowing flyers to change their flights without fees or fare differences, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue and United Airlines. Southwest Airlines no longer had a waiver related to the reductions listed.

"You can now feel confident in booking your travel knowing that, even with the FAA reductions still in place, our operation is stabilizing as we move to resuming normal operations," Southwest said on its website. "We'll continue adjusting our schedule as needed to comply with the FAA's order."

President Donald Trump signed legislation to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history – which lasted 43 days – earlier this week. Aviation experts have said it will take time for the system to fully get back to normal.

Ahmed Abdelghany, associate dean for research at the David B. O'Maley College of Business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, previously told USA TODAY, "The pace of recovery is likely to vary across airports and carriers, often unfolding on a case-by-case basis over several days following the formal resolution."

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flights start to stabilize as government shutdown ends

Reporting by Nathan Diller, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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