Flight delays and cancellations are mounting nationwide as the US government shutdown enters its fifth week, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warning that staffing shortages among air traffic controllers are likely to worsen heading into the November holiday travel season.
On October 31, 2025, the FAA reported significant delays at airports in Austin, Texas, Newark, New Jersey, and Nashville, Tennessee, with average wait times ranging from 50 to 100 minutes. By midday, more than 2,200 flights had been delayed and over 300 canceled, according to FlightAware data. Officials said further disruptions were likely later in the day at Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth.
At least nine FAA facilities were short-staffed on October 31, the agency said, underscoring the strain on an already thin workforce. Roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers have been working without pay since the shutdown began.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned the situation could deteriorate further in the days ahead.
“Coming into this weekend and then the week after, I think you are going to see even more disruptions in the airspace,” Duffy told Fox News, adding that nearly half of all delays last weekend were caused by controller absences — roughly 10 times the normal rate.
Vice President J.D. Vance was equally blunt during a White House industry roundtable the day before, saying the shutdown is pushing the air traffic control system toward a breaking point.
“It could be a disaster. It really could be, because at that point you’re talking about people who have missed three paychecks. How many of them are not going to show up for work?” Vance said.
His remarks reflected growing concern that if the impasse continues deep into November, absenteeism could ripple across the National Airspace System just as holiday travel peaks.
The nation’s air traffic system is already operating below optimal capacity. The FAA is currently about 3,500 controllers short of its target staffing level, and many employees have been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks since before the shutdown. Without funding, the agency cannot adequately hire or train new controllers — a process that typically takes two years.
Airlines say they are feeling the impact. Delta, United, Southwest, and American Airlines jointly urged Congress to pass a short-term spending bill, calling the disruption “a direct threat to safety and reliability.”
Industry data show 7,300 US flights were delayed and 1,250 canceled on Thursday, October 28, alone. Earlier in the week, staffing shortages forced the FAA to slow departures at Orlando, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Washington, D.C., with temporary ground stops issued at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Politically, the standoff shows little sign of ending soon. The next US elections on November 4, 2025, are less than a week away, and lawmakers appear unwilling to make concessions before voters head to the polls. Aides to congressional leaders suggested privately that any deal to reopen the government may have to wait until after the election results.
For now, aviation officials are urging patience from the traveling public. Duffy reiterated that the system is safe but acknowledged fatigue among unpaid staff is a growing concern.
“These men and women are professionals doing extraordinary work under very difficult circumstances,” he said. “But this is not sustainable.”
