NYC, Los Angeles and Chicago among 40 travel hubs that will see fewer flights as government shutdown drags on

Airports in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago are among the 40 major travel hubs to be affected by flight cuts due to the ongoing government shutdown.

The flight reductions will start as soon as Friday after the Federal Aviation Administration maintained the decision was paramount for safe air travel amid pressure on air traffic controllers, who “are under immense stress and fatigue.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the country’s “Core 30” airports would be affected, which include Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, the busiest airport in the country, Boston Logan International, Chicago O’Hare International, Ronald Reagan Washington National, Newark Liberty International, New York John F Kennedy, Los Angeles International and Seattle Tacoma International.

Duffy announced Wednesday that the decision “had not been taken lightly” ahead of the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday travel season.

Travel experts predict hundreds, if not thousands, of flights could be canceled. The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium.

The Independent has contacted the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration for comment.

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Duffy said the agency was confronting staffing shortages caused by air traffic controllers, who are working unpaid, with some calling out of work during the shutdown, resulting in delays across the country. The air traffic controllers are also not being paid while the government remains shut down.

The secretary hit back at accusations that flights were being cut for “leverage” as the pressure is mounting on Republicans and Democrats to hammer out a deal to end the shutdown, now the longest in federal government history.

“Let me be clear: this isn’t about “leverage” — it’s about the safety of the flying public,” Duffy said Thursday in a post on X.

United Airlines warned its customers that the cuts were focused on regional and domestic mainline flights.

“United’s long-haul international and hub-to-hub flights will not be impacted,” the airline said in a social media post. “Instead, the focus is on schedule reductions to regional and domestic mainline flights that do not travel between our hub airports.”

The airline added that any customers traveling during the affected period are eligible for a refund, “even if your flight is not impacted.”

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American Airlines said it expected the “vast majority” of passengers would not be impacted by the cuts and it would reach out to customers affected directly.

Many passengers were asking airlines for clarity on social media.

American Airlines replied to one customer Thursday morning, stating that while flights scheduled for Nov. 6 were expected to go ahead, it was still awaiting further information from the FAA.

Delta said it expected the majority of its flights to operate as planned. “We are providing additional flexibility to all of our customers during the impacted travel period to change, cancel or refund their flights, including our basic economy fares, without penalty,” the airline added.

The shutdown, now in its 36th day and the longest in U.S. history, has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers to work without pay and affected tens of thousands of flights so far, according to Reuters.

Duffy warned of “additional disruptions” and “frustration” due to the flight reductions.

Additional reporting from agencies