Airlines Face Ongoing Chaos

US airline operations remain heavily disrupted despite signs that the federal government shutdown could soon end. On Thursday:

• LaGuardia Airport (NYC): average delays 1 hour 16 minutes
• O’Hare Airport (Chicago): average delays 44 minutes
• Harry Reid International (Las Vegas): average delays 46 minutes

FlightAware reports 1,700 cancellations and over 5,000 delays across domestic and international flights. American Airlines noted that weekend cancellations affected 250,000 customers.

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Staffing Shortages and FAA Flight Reductions

The shutdown has caused significant air traffic controller absences, with 20-40% of controllers not reporting to work at the 30 largest airports. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) instructed airlines to reduce flights:

• 4% reduction at 40 major airports last week
• 6% reduction by Tuesday
• 10% reduction by November 14

Airlines for America estimates over 4 million passengers have been affected since the shutdown began on October 1.

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Trump Demands Controllers Return to Work

President Donald Trump ordered air traffic controllers back to duty, threatening pay docking for absences and offering $10,000 incentives for those who stayed on the job.

“All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially ‘docked,’” Trump said on social media.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described Saturday as the worst staffing day since the shutdown began.

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Escalation: General Aviation Suspensions

On Sunday, the FAA suspended general aviation operations at 12 major airports, including:

• Washington Reagan (not Dulles)
• Chicago O’Hare (not Midway)
• Houston George Bush Intercontinental (not Hobby)
• Denver, Seattle, Boston

Advocates argue these measures are insufficient. Erica Payne, president of Patriotic Millionaires, suggested grounding private jet travel to free up airport capacity.

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Market Impact

Airline stocks are taking a hit:

• American Airlines: down 2%
• United Airlines: down 0.3%
• Delta: relatively flat
• Alaska Airlines: down 0.7%
• JetBlue: down 0.5%
• Southwest Airlines: up 0.4%

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Key Takeaways

• Flight disruptions: 1,700 cancellations, 5,000+ delays
• Staffing shortage: up to 40% of controllers absent
• FAA flight reductions: 4–10% cuts at major airports
• Trump action: threatens pay docking, offers bonuses
• Market effect: US airline stocks decline amid operational chaos