As an update, been in 3 US airports the last 2 days. Travel easy and on time, if anything airports are less frenetic with slightly fewer people.
Airlines (at least Southwest) are notifying passengers 48 hours in advance that their flights are going and not canceled.
So glad I went ahead with travel. Hope Wednesday goes as well for me getting home.
My son and his family are on the way to Phoenix from Minneapolis on Delta. No issues on their flight.
I flew Friday Phoenix to Everett. Everything went very smoothly. I think that this must really vary by airport. I did see that most airlines are cancelling about 3-4% of their current flight schedule at this time. I think delays are more likely during this time if your flight is operating, so be flexible and leave earlier for any "must arrive by" times such as a cruise, tour, wedding, etc.
The Brief The FAA issued a Ground Delay Program (GDP) for Newark
Liberty International Airport on Sunday morning. The advisory cites
air traffic control staffing shortages as the cause. Average flight
delays reached over two hours, with some waiting more than four. NEW
YORK - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground delay
program at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) on Sunday
morning, forcing many inbound flights to wait hours before departure.
On Saturday morning Nov 8, I flew LaGuardia to Detroit on Delta. Flight left on time only to encounter an ATC ground stop while on the taxi way. We were delayed about 1/2 hour. I arrived 3 hours before my flight because I believed the national news about “massive” delays on getting through the airport. From the time I left the hotel in Chelsea, caught my ride on Uber shuttle, went through TSA pre check, the total time was 1 hour. Darn near the length of time it took us to go from LGA to Madison Square Gardens.
My friend flew Southwest back to Charlotte. He had 1 leg (LGA-ORD) canceled. Rerouted through BWI. His BWI-CLT was canceled. He then routed himself through Nashville and rented a car to get back to Charlotte. While my flight was uneventful and delayed my arrival to Detroit by 1/2 hour. His travel took from 2:30pm to roughly 2am. At this time, it appears if your on a flight that is not full, you will be canceled.
Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 55s Transportation Secretary Sean
Duffy warned that US air travel would come to a virtual standstill
during the Thanksgiving holiday season if the government shutdown
persists.
If it was easy, go buy a lottery ticket because you’re living a charmed life
I was delayed five hours and based on everything I saw at the Austin airport that was pretty normal. And yes, my flight was full.
Basically, nothing was going out on schedule and yesterday afternoon
My friend was on Southwest to California. She was only delayed three hours.
The man next to me on the plane was supposed to be going to South Africa and he will be spending two days in Atlanta because he missed his flight out of ATL and he can’t get on another one for two days
If you want to see the impact i suggest this site
Adding Southwest just sent an email confirming my Wednesday flights are not canceled, so good news for me.
Here’s today’s misery index highlighting the uneven impact
https://www.flightaware.com/miserymap/
New York, Chicago, Boston, Miami, Detroit, Atlanta especially affected.
Yesterday, Saturday 11/8, our late morning Alaska flight from Seattle (SEA) to New York (JFK) was delayed by 3.5 hours as were many of the other flights in the C terminal. We got the notification, with what turned out to be a very accurate new departure time, just as the flight should have been boarding.
The general mood in the crowded terminal was calm and resigned. There were very long lines at the gate desks - I would imagine asking about possible missed connections. No issues on our flight, the other passengers were cool and FAs were professional and positive. Getting from JFK to our downtown Brooklyn hotel via Lyft at 11:00 pm was uneventful.
Earlier this week our flight home from Kona to Seattle was cancelled and the ATC was the reason given. We ended up with an extra day, which wasn’t bad especially since our Airbnb was great and let us keep our stuff there until the red eye flight.
The day we flew to Kona was one of the Alaska IT outages, so the airport was a mess
My husband flew home very late on Thursday from Houston and he it was a madhouse there.
Son flew Delta Raleigh to Detroit on Thursday and returned today (Sunday). Both were early morning flights but no issues.
Don't start celebrating too soon
This past weekend was only the 4% reduction.
By next Friday it ramps up to a 10% reduction
The FAA's plan requires airlines to phase in these cuts gradually, starting with 4% of flights through the weekend and gradually building up to 10% by next Friday
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/07/nx-s1-5601894/air-travel-airports-flights-faa-reductions-what-to-know
I spoke to a few people this weekend who had recently and very recently flown.
Not one of them had an issues with flights.
Maybe I just spoke to the lucky ones.
My guess is that whike there may be some real problems out there, maybe not as bad as the doom and gloom click bait.
My friend flew Southwest back to Charlotte. He had 1 leg (LGA-ORD) canceled.
Likely you mean MDW, been there transferring too many times.
Lucky to all of you. My flight cx twice and it’s going to take me over 24 hours to get from Scranton to Santa Barbara with an over night layover ( late arrival and then early morning flight in SFO). I m on hold now with United , and will be for hours , but I’m not getting into SFO and not to a hotel until 1 AM , or later, only to have to get to the airport by 6 the next morning . Nor am I willing to reserve a hotel and not arrive because one of the so called new flights is a 40 min transfer. I have no hope of success.
Diane, so sorry to hear about such a difficult time!!!!
FlightAware has the numbers of cancellations and delays and they are not insignificant. I imagine it must be hard for the airlines to predict how many air traffic controllers are going to call out sick too far in advance.
I was afraid to take the chance of getting stuck in San Francisco, so I cancelled my Southwest ticket and received a credit for the full amount of my ticket which I have to use within 6 months.
After three hours on hold and a half hour discussion with United, I have a flight out a day later with arrival home by 5:38 PM the same day. I have a 40 min transfer in IAD and my fingers are crossed that I don’t get delayed on my first flight of the day. I am in the far back of the plane and lost my upgraded seats.
We and our daughter (different flights) got here to Chicago without too much trouble/very short delays but we are going home tomorrow . My daughter had two friends flying out of Chicago today and both had nightmarish experiences. One had two flights cancelled before getting one back to Atlanta. The other traveling with a four year old is supposed to be at LAX now at 1:00am.
A large dose of luck is required right now I think for nothing to go wrong.
