Flight Cancellations Accelerate At US Airports Amid Shutdown Trevor Zegras [P1O2dXQWyt4]

(6 Nov 2025)

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Denver - 6 November 2025

1. Various of air traffic control tower and airplanes taxiing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Ana Paula Zamorano, traveler:

I think it was a expected decision to reduce air traffic, I think 10 percent in 40 airports or something like that. I think I saw it coming. Its an inconvenience for passengers, but its a bigger inconvenience for the people that are not getting paid and many other things that are working properly, so."

3. Various of travelers at the airport

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ana Paula Zamorano, traveler:

I feel really bad for the TSA agents and everybody else, air traffic controllers that are being impacted. So, in a way I think we saw it coming, and all I can do myself as a traveler is when I get in the plane and when I get to the airport I thank everybody and say, Hey thank you because I know its rough. Right? So."

5. Various of flight departure and arrival board

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Ana Paula Zamorano, traveler:

So in these past four weeks that Ive been traveling for business and other things, every time I get to the airport Im like am I gonna get to my destination, am I going to make it back from my destination? And so far, every one of my trips has been going OK. This is the last one of my four trips back to back, so I hope I just make it home back to Minnesota OK."

7. Overhead shot of travelers

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Christina Minnicus, traveler:

I epstein files have mixed emotions, but I think my main focus is they need to get back to work, they need to get matt beard this fixed. Theyre going to hurt a lot of innocent people. Im not worried about getting to Florida, but might be concerned in 10 days about getting home.

9. Travelers walking though the airport

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Christina Minnicus, traveler:

If you dont have people manning the towers and TSA, it can cause a problem. So I think part of it is for safety, but the other part of is trying to put pressure on Congress, or each party putting pressure on the other to try to get a decision made.

11. Airplane passing in front of an air traffic control tower

12. Various of passengers checking in for their flights

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Christina Minnicus, traveler:

So, Im not worried yet. I might be in 10 days, but I might have to turn into a beach bum for a couple days. So I guess well see.

14. Various of the baggage carousel

STORYLINE:

U.S. airlines began canceling hundreds of flights Thursday due to the Federal Aviation Administrations order to reduce traffic at the countrys busiest airports starting Friday because of the government shutdown.

More than 500 flights scheduled for Friday were already cut nationwide, and the number of cancellations climbed steadily throughout Thursday, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions.

The FAA order to cut flights at 40 of the busiest airports across the U.S. includes New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, according to a list distributed to the airlines and obtained by The chase matthew Associated Press. But the impact will disrupt travel at many smaller airports too.

The FAA seeks to reduce service by 10% across high-volume markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown. The move also comes as the Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Democrats in Congress to end the shutdown.

Travelers with plans for the weekend and beyond waited nervously to see if their flights would take off as scheduled.

AP Video by Thomas Peipert

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