US warns it could force 20% flight cuts if shutdown continues

Question

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said airlines might have to cut 20% of flights if the government shutdown continues. The FAA told airlines to cut some flights, 4% at first, maybe 10% soon, because many air traffic controllers are not coming to work because they aren’t being paid for their work. At Washington’s main airport, some people waited up to four hours for their flight due to a delay. About 13,000 controllers and 50,000 security workers are still working without pay.

Many big U.S. airlines had to cancel many of their  scheduled flights, leaving many people unable to travel. American Airlines canceled 220 flights, and United canceled 184. Airline leaders said that if the government shutdown continues, travel problems will just get worse. The FAA said the flight cuts are for safety reasons. International flights are not affected, but private-plane flights may be reduced at busy airports. The shutdown has also caused political fighting between Democrats and Republicans as both sides blame each other for the travel problems.

Answer 1

This is true. The source of claim, Reuters, is saying that the US may have to cut up to 20% of flights as a result of the US government shutdown. As of right now however, Reuters says that we are looking at a 10% cut happening soon. Reuters is a very reliable news agency, so we can already see that this claim holds value.

This claim can be backed up by BBC, a reliable news agency as well, who says,

"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced earlier in the week that it would be reducing air travel capacity by up to10% at 40 of the nation's busiest airports as air traffic controllers, who are working without pay during the shutdown, report fatigue."

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj410k00yw8o

This can also be backed up by AP News, another reliable news agency,

"The Federal Aviation Administration is forcing airlines to cut 10% of their flights at 40 of the busiest airports across the nation to reduce pressure on air traffic controllers during the ongoing government shutdown and ensure that flying remains safe."

Link: https://apnews.com/article/faa-government-shutdown-flight-cuts-airports-list-a11237fe6d6e14bed0935930dffed72e

Answer 2

     This is true, more sources are saying that due to the record long government shutdown and the federal employees (Air traffic control and TSA workers) not getting paid there will be less flights. The number has started with a mandated 4% of flights being cut and that will steadily increase in the next few days until it reaches 10% of flights being cut. Reuters, your listed source says 17% of flights were cut and 40% were delayed at Regan Washington National, Also saying under this shutdown 13,000 Air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA workers will go without pay and are choosing to not show up to work because they won't be paid for their work. According to CNBC Sean Duffy the Transportation secretary said it 10% cuts are planned but reported to Fox News the number could go as high as 20% without elaborating so the claim isn't baseless but there is not real plan for it to go that high as of now.

CNBC

 

Comments

This was a really great answer, the only thing that I think would be helpful to add is potential biases that this source might have and another source to support it even more.

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I really like this fact check! I like how you used your evidence and made your point clear. I can tell you put real work and thought into this fact check!

Answer 3

This is a true claim as I learned that "more than 1,00 Friday flights were slashed on the first day of the Trump administrations mandatory cuts to reduce US air traffic". There was also more than 4500 flights that got delayed on Friday. 40 of the largest airports in the nation are included in this reduction of flights and it is expected to keep getting worse as the weeks go on. This information is from a CNN article posted on November 7th. CNN is more left leaning, meaning the article could potentially be more biased towards making Trump seem like he's doing a lot bad. This is only a potential bias, so far, the article has not proved to be spreading false information.  

What to know about the ongoing flight cancellations if you’re about to fly | CNN

Comments

I really like your fact check. I think you did a really good job on proving your point and supporting this claim. I think the evidence you used was very strong.

Answer 4

I found this claim true. According to BBC News more than 1,400 flights were canceled in the second day of the air traffic cuts due to the government shutdown. On top of these flights being canceled there have been an record breaking amount of flights delayed for large amounts of times. These cuts are not happening because the airlines feel like it the FAA has told the airlines that they have to due to the limited amount of workers during this shutdown. 

Answer 5

This is true as a result of the US government shutdown continuing. Many big US airports are seeing reduced staffing in air traffic control and FAA. As the shutdown continues there have been less and less airport employees being paid and working. “The two weeks before Thanksgiving, you’re going to see air travel be reduced to a trickle,”  Said US transportation secretary Sean Duffy.

FAA flight cancellations to worsen in government shutdown

Thousands of US flights impacted amid government shutdown cuts

BBC also reported the same information and saying that thousands of flights have been cancelled and by next week 10% of flights be cut and will only increase from there.

Answer 6

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the government might be forced to cut up to 20% of flights if the ongoing shutdown continued to severely impact air traffic control. While the immediate cuts started to decrease, the 20% figure was attributed directly to the secretary as a possible future reduction necessary for safety. The information is reported through secondary sources, but the consistent attribution of the 20% figure to the secretary by multiple major outlets makes this claim his. Associated Press news reported that the FAA was forcing airlines to cut 10% of their flights at 40 of the busiest airports to reduce pressure on air traffic controllers. These outlets are high-integrity news sources with global reputations for accuracy. Their primary interest is breaking major news. Potential bias in reporting on the government shutdown may lean toward highlighting the negative impact on the public to increase political pressure. This claim is supported by the quote that Secretary Duffy told Fox News that the cuts could go as high as 20%. No evidence undermines the claim, as it was warning about a potential future cut.

Comments

Don't forget to include source links within a fact-check for everything you cite (re: Associated Press, Fox News). Thanks!

Answer 7

This claim, “US warns it could force 20% flight cuts if shutdown continues”, is true. This claim comes from Reuters. On Nov 7, they said that, “U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Friday he could force airlines to cut up to 20% of flights if the government shutdown did not end, as U.S. airlines on Friday scrambled to make unprecedented government-imposed reductions.” Reuters is a valid source. It is one of the world’s largest and most respected international news organizations, known for factual and unbiased reporting. Another source that backs this up is The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It states that, “The Federal Aviation Administration started reducing flights Friday at 40 major airports, which includes Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Capacity reductions began at 4%, rose to 5% Saturday and will increase to 6% Sunday before ramping up to 10% next week.” This is a valid source as well because. It follows standard journalistic ethics—fact-checking, multiple sources, and editorial oversight. The AJC is a long-standing regional newspaper (founded in the 1800s) with a strong record of professional journalism.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/business/american-airlines-warns-problems-faa-flight-cuts-increase-2025-11-07/

https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/11/prolonged-shutdown-could-force-20-flight-cuts-us-officials-warn/

Answer 8

I found the claim "US warns it could force 20% flight cuts if shutdown continues" to be true. Many sources are saying that because of the current government shutdown, and the lack of pay towards federal workers such as traffic controllers and security screeners, and with over 2,500 flights cancelled, transportation secretary says flight reductions could reach 20% if shutdown persists. (The Guardian). Also, "U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Friday he could force airlines to cut up to 20% of flights if the government shutdown did not end, as U.S. airlines on Friday scrambled to make unprecedented government-imposed reductions" according to Reuters.

Answer 9

The claim you made is mostly true, Some of the information is unverified because there isnt much evidence found on it. The secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy did warn of up to a 20% flight reduction if the shutdown continues. The FAA also ordered phased reductions starting at 4% and going ip to 10% at 40 major Airports. International flights were mainly excluded from these cuts, which your claim stated. This is true. The unpaid controllers and TSA/security workers are supported. There are currently around 13,000 controllers and 50,000 security workers working without pay. On the other hands, the exact amount of a four-hour wait at Washington's main airport and cancellation numbers from specific airlines should be though about carefully. This is because I could not find sources supporting this claim. Main evidence found here: Reuters

Answer 10

The claim that the U.S. government shutdown has threatened major flight reductions is accurate. The FAA has ordered airlines to cut flights by 4% at 40 major airports, with plans to raise the cuts to 10% if the staffing shortfalls among air-traffic controllers persist. Moreover, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated that cuts could go as high as 20% if conditions deteriorate further. These actions follow widespread reports of air-traffic controller absences and unpaid work due to the ongoing shutdown.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-finalizes-domestic-flight-cuts-start-4-friday-2025-11-07/

https://www.reuters.com/business/american-airlines-warns-problems-faa-flight-cuts-increase-2025-11-07/