US air travel will fall to a trickle due to shutdown, transportation secretary says

Source: Reuters

November 9, 2025 11:29 AM EST Updated 3 hours ago


WASHINGTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - U.S. flights will be reduced to "a trickle" in the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday as the federal shutdown continues because of rising air traffic control staffing shortages, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in remarks that aired on Sunday.

Major airlines were dealing with a third day of government-mandated flight cuts after thousands of delays and cancellations snarled traffic on Saturday. The shutdown, which has reached a record 40 days, has led to shortages of air traffic controllers who, like other federal employees, have not been paid for weeks.

"It's only going to get worse... the two weeks before Thanksgiving, you're going to see air travel be reduced to a trickle," Duffy said on CNN's "State of the Union" program.

Millions of people usually travel in the run-up to Thanksgiving, one of the most important U.S. holidays, which this year falls on November 27. "Many of them are not going to be able to get on an airplane, because there are not going to be that many flights that fly if this thing doesn't open back up," Duffy said.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/us-airlines-brace-third-day-government-mandated-flight-cuts-2025-11-09/