FAA Reduces Flight Cuts at Airports to 3 Percent

The announcement came after the government reopened on Nov. 12.

Flight reductions at 40 airports across the United States will be downgraded from 6 percent to 3 percent, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Nov. 14.

The 3 percent reduction goes into effect at 6 a.m. on Nov. 15, according to the FAA statement.

All airports initially impacted in the emergency order are named in the latest guidelines.

The FAA began ordering airports to reduce flights one week ago as an effort to keep the skies safe during the federal government shutdown, which ended on Nov. 12.

The safety and operations team at the FAA said air traffic controller staffing levels have risen since the shutdown ended.

Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed that 70 percent of air traffic controllers received their paychecks on Nov. 14 after working without pay since the start of the shutdown on Oct. 1, 2025.

This story will be updated with additional details. 

By Jacki Thrapp