Mass delays and stranded travelers: Photos capture airport chaos amid the longest government shutdown in US history

• The US government shutdown has caused mass airport delays in recent weeks.
• Air traffic controller shortages and FAA flight reductions have led to widespread cancellations.
• Travel disruptions may last through Thanksgiving, historically the busiest travel holiday in the US.

The government shutdown might be nearing an end, but Thanksgiving travel might still be a headache this year.

Since October 1, the US government has been shut down, resulting in hundreds of thousands of federal workers being furloughed or asked to work without pay.

In the past few weeks, airports — which are operated by essential federal workers required to continue working during shutdowns — have reached a boiling point.

As the shutdown has continued, rates of air traffic controllers calling out sick have increased, as some have been forced to seek second jobs amid financial distress.

Additionally, the rate of air traffic controllers retiring daily has also gone up during the shutdown, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

“I used to have about four controllers retire a day before the shutdown,” Duffy said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “I’m now up to 15 to 20 a day are retiring.”

With resources stretched thin, the Federal Aviation Administration stepped in to reduce traffic at major US airports. On November 7, the FAA ordered a 4% reduction in flights to and from 40 major airports, resulting in delays and cancellations nationwide.

With an end to the government shutdown in sight by Tuesday, staffing shortages began to decrease after what Duffy called a “very rough” travel weekend, the Transportation Secretary said at a press conference.

But even as the shutdown nears an end after a funding deal was reached in the Senate, the effects on air traffic might linger until Thanksgiving, which has historically been the busiest holiday at US airports.

Flight reductions at 40 major airports will be mandated to increase from the current 4% cut to 10% on Friday, even if the shutdown ends, Duffy said. He said the FAA would base decisions on safety data.

See how chaos has unfolded across US airports in recent weeks.

The US government has been shut down for 42 days — the longest in history.

The second-longest shutdown lasted 34 days in 2018.

Thousands of air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began.

Deemed essential employees and therefore required to work through funding gaps, air traffic controllers and TSA workers have been working without pay since October 1.

For weeks, airports have been seeing delays as air traffic controllers have called out sick.

By October 27, outlets like CNN had begun reporting that the overworked air traffic controllers were calling out sick as the shutdown went on.

Jake Rosenfeld, a professor of sociology at Washington University in St. Louis who studies labor organizing, told CNN that even just a “handful” of controllers calling out could cause potential delays.

On Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the department might penalize workers who stopped working before they missed a paycheck.

With nearly half of scheduled flights departing late in some cities, travelers have encountered long waits.

Between October 28 and November 3, fewer than 65% of all flights to the three major airports in the New York City area arrived on time compared to the 81% on-time rate in September, CBS reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to cut daily flights at 40 major airports.

A 4% cut in all daily flights was ordered by the federal agency on November 7, with increases to 6%, 8%, and 10% ordered for November 11, 13, and 14, respectively.

Over 9,000 flights have been canceled since the FAA’s reduction order went into effect.

As of Tuesday, a total of 9,000 flights had been canceled since the FAA’s reduction mandate, as reported by AP News.

At a Tuesday press conference, Duffy said that the number of flight cancellations by airlines even exceeded the rates mandated by the agency, as air traffic controllers across the nation assessed safety data.

The travel complications have left thousands of travelers stranded for hours.

With airlines reducing the number of flights at major airports, travelers have encountered long delays and sudden cancellations.

With reduced personnel, airports have prioritized safety over maximizing full capacity.

The flight reductions are meant to ensure safety in air travel, the FAA assured travelers.

TSA workers have also been going without pay as the shutdown goes on.

Although TSA workers have also been going without pay during the shutdown, staffing shortages have not been as prevalent as those among air traffic controllers.

Major connecting hubs, like LaGuardia in New York, have seen their schedules widely affected.

Many of the major airports affected by the flight reductions serve as major connecting hubs for flights across the US, and delays in their schedules can ripple throughout the country.

Some passengers have started double booking flights to prepare for last-minute cancellations.

With travel uncertainty on the rise, some passengers have opted to book backup flights in case of cancellations.

In the meantime, airport workers have resorted to second jobs and food banks to stay afloat.

Air traffic controllers, like many thousands of federal employees working without pay during the shutdown, have begun working second jobs and relying on assistance, such as food banks.

With holiday travel on the horizon, travel complications are expected to heighten.

Thanksgiving travel has historically been a busy time for US airports, with the Sunday after Thanksgiving usually seeing the highest volume of flyers.

In 2024, US airports saw a total of 3,008,036 travelers on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, per the TSA.

Even as the shutdown nears an end, the travel chaos is expected to continue.

Pressed about a timeline for the restoration of travel schedules on Tuesday, Duffy said that travel complications would likely continue after the shutdown ends, partly due to sustained staffing shortages of air traffic controllers.

Rates of air traffic controllers going into retirement increased during the shutdown.

Duffy said Tuesday that the increased rates of retirements would make understaffing problems linger after the end of the shutdown, citing that the agency is “2,000 controllers short and trying to make up that difference.”

Travelers are being advised to monitor their flights and plan backup options.

Those traveling during the FAA flight reductions are advised to monitor their flight status closely and be prepared in case of delays or sudden cancellations.

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