Mass flight cancellations have begun at 40 major airports: What should you do if you’re flying?

There are signs that the longest government shutdown in history could be nearing its end.

In the meantime, prepare to be frustrated if you’re headed to the airport.

This weekend brought one of the worst air travel messes we’ve seen in years, with 22,000 flights affected by cancellations or delays.

It’s not likely to improve right away, either.

Starting Tuesday, airlines will have to reduce their schedules by 6% at 40 large airports in an effort to ease the burden on understaffed air traffic control facilities — cuts that will grow deeper as the week goes on.

In reality? The disruptions will likely be much worse as air travel seems to have reached something of a breaking point in recent days amid the weekslong shutdown.

“You’re going to see air travel be reduced to a trickle,” Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said while speaking Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, offering a sobering prediction of what travel would look like if the shutdown drags on much longer.

Chaos builds at airports nationwide

Right now, we’re seeing the mass flight disruptions fall into two major categories: planned and unplanned.

Planned

Thousands of flights have already been shuttered for the coming days as airlines meet Federal Aviation Administration orders to trim departures from 40 major airports.

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• Airlines will need to reduce 6% of flights at those hubs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Starting Thursday, carriers will have to cut 8% of flights.
• Beginning Friday, 10% of flights will be canceled.

Here’s the full list of airports the FAA has focused its cuts on^[3].

Unplanned

But that’s only part of the picture.

This weekend, tens of thousands of additional flights were affected by cancellations or delays stemming from staffing shortages among air traffic controllers, who have been working without pay.

The problems played out in mass chaos at airports across the country, with travelers stranded in packed terminals and planes backed up for hours on taxiways.

In a letter to employees on Monday, a top American Airlines executive said 250,000 of its customers were affected — on top of hundreds of thousands more at other airlines.

“This is simply unacceptable, and everyone deserves better,” David Seymour, the carrier’s chief operating officer, wrote while predicting “continued cancellations and delays” will occur in addition to the ones the Trump administration is requiring.

Is flying still safe?

Throughout the shutdown, the Trump administration and leaders across the aviation sector have maintained that air travel remains broadly safe despite the FAA’s staffing shortfalls — but only because the agency has slowed the flow of planes.

That, of course, leads to mass disruptions.

Speaking at a news conference Monday morning, the head of the nation’s top air traffic controllers union warned that tired controllers have led to greater-than-usual concerns about safety in our skies.

“The trend line is going in the wrong direction,” said Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. “The fatigue has led to the erosion of safety and the increased risk every day that this shutdown drags on.”

How airlines are handling the cancellations

Airlines have scrambled over the past week to issue travel waivers, allowing passengers more flexibility to make changes to their itineraries. On most airlines, even travelers flying on an ordinarily restrictive basic economy ticket can now make fee-free changes.

Plus, some airlines even relaxed refund rules to give unaffected travelers the freedom to cancel their trip and stay home.

Few international cancellations — more domestic and regional

The FAA is letting airlines decide which flights to cancel.

So far, carriers have mostly left long-haul international flights on large, twin-aisle planes intact — after all, canceling a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight to Tokyo would displace hundreds of passengers.

Instead, many of the cancellations involved domestic flights, particularly those operated by smaller jets flown by the major airlines’ regional subsidiaries, which fly under branding like American Eagle, United Express and Delta Connection.

We’ve also seen the largest network airlines aim to avoid cutting flights from one hub airport to another since those flights are critical to the flow of planes and crew members.

United Airlines, for one, has published a list^[4] of every flight it canceled through Wednesday.

What should you do if you’re flying during the shutdown?

These mass travel disruptions have left passengers squarely in the middle of the fight on Capitol Hill.

And while there’s no perfect solution to the uncertainty faced by travelers, here is our best practical advice if you have trips planned in the coming days.

Keep an eye out for airline notifications

Be sure to pay careful attention to any email, text or mobile app communication coming from your airline.

On top of the flexible travel waivers issued by most carriers, many airlines have pledged to notify passengers about travel issues via email and mobile app push notifications.

Just like you’ll see during a major weather disruption, you may be able to rebook yourself on a new flight in a matter of taps — no need to wait on hold with the airline.

United said it was able to rebook around half of its customers affected by weekend cancellations on a new flight within four hours of travelers’ original departure.

Know that refund rules still apply

Keep in mind that under U.S. Department of Transportation policy, passengers whose flights are canceled or significantly delayed are entitled to a refund^[5], regardless of the reason for the disruption, if they ultimately choose not to fly.

Just note, though, that you only get a refund under DOT policy if you choose not to accept a new rebooked flight from the airline.

However, some carriers are offering expanded refund policies, allowing passengers who simply don’t want to travel right now the chance to cancel and get a refund — even if their flight isn’t affected.

Policies differ from one airline to another. Here’s our full rundown of each major carrier^[6].

Consider your plan B

If I had a trip planned in the near future, I’d certainly be thinking through my backup plan — whether it’s driving, taking a train or canceling my trip altogether.

That’s especially true after the chaotic weekend we saw at airports.

I’d be particularly cautious when flying on an itinerary that includes connecting flights. After all, a two-leg trip essentially doubles your chance of falling victim to a cancellation.

In an unusual move, Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle even suggested that travelers consider booking more than one flight.

“If you are flying Friday or in the next 10 days and need to be there or don’t want to be stranded, I highly recommend booking a backup ticket on another carrier,” Biffle wrote in a social media post.

Travelers attempting to book a backup flight should make at least one of them a fully refundable ticket they can cancel if the other departs as planned. Note that most airlines allow travelers to cancel award tickets booked with points or miles without penalty.

Related: Flight delayed or canceled? Here’s what to do next^[7]

Get to the airport early

Also plan on getting to the airport a bit earlier than you normally would. So far, wait times at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints have remained mostly on par with normal travel days.

But with TSA workers also going unpaid, the lines can pile up, as we saw last week at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

Be prepared for a longer-than-expected flight

Bring snacks and water, download extra podcasts or movies, and use the restroom before boarding.

With all the delays we’re seeing, it’s possible you could be stuck on the plane (in the air or on the ground) far longer than expected.

Who pays if you get stranded?

Because the flight disruptions technically aren’t the airline’s fault, it’s likely airlines will not offer compensation for unexpected hotel nights, meals in the airport or taxis to and from your hotel.

“Airlines will be required to issue full refunds. They will not be required to cover secondary costs,” the DOT confirmed last week.

If you booked your trip with a credit card that has travel insurance, call the provider to see if you can make a trip delay claim. However, it appears that at least some policies offered in tandem with some major cards may not cover shutdown-related travel disruptions.

As always, read your plan’s full terms and conditions.

What does this mean for Thanksgiving?

These mass flight cancellations come with just about two weeks to go until the Thanksgiving travel rush — one that airlines had been expecting to be a record-breaker.

Read more: What about Thanksgiving travel? Shutdown and FAA flight cuts raise concerns about a messy holiday^[8]

And plenty of questions remain about how quickly air travel could get back on track, even if the longest shutdown in history ends soon.

For now, with the government shutdown now at 41 days and counting, travelers remain in limbo — as do the thousands of unpaid employees charged with keeping our airports and skies safe.

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