Overview
- Major carriers scrubbed hundreds of departures Friday, with cancellations concentrated at hubs including New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas and Denver.
- American said about 220 flights will be canceled each day this weekend, United forecast under 200 Friday and Saturday, and Delta planned roughly 170 Friday, focusing cuts on domestic and regional routes.
- Airlines and officials said long‑haul international services and many hub‑to‑hub flights are not affected for now, and change-fee waivers or refunds are being offered to impacted customers.
- The FAA and Transportation Department began a roughly 4% reduction Friday, with plans to move to about 6% Tuesday and up to 10% within days if needed to manage operations safely.
- Officials cite a shortfall of about 2,000 air traffic controllers and zero‑dollar paychecks driving absenteeism, and they warn further reductions could follow heading into Veterans Day and Thanksgiving travel.