Nearly 900 Flights Axed as US Airports Limp Through Shutdown Fallout

ABC News, Business Insider, Reuters, and CNN contributed to this report.

Air travel hit another snag Wednesday morning: at least 893 flights were canceled nationwide by lunchtime, with another 980 delayed, according to FlightAware. Chicago O’Hare led the scrap heap with 45 cancellations by late morning local time, followed by Denver (43) and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson (37).

It’s the latest chapter in a rough stretch for flyers as the record federal shutdown strained everything from air traffic control to routine scheduling. The good news: conditions have improved since the weekend’s mess, and winter weather isn’t the villain today. The bad news: the system is still running with guardrails.

The FAA continues to cap capacity at 40 major airports while workers ride out the final hours of the shutdown without pay. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that if funding didn’t come through, airlines could be forced to ground planes to keep operations safe. More than 1,200 flights were canceled Tuesday, plus 2,600 delays; by comparison, Wednesday’s totals were trending lower by midday as Congress moved toward reopening the government.

Staffing remains the pressure point. Newark Liberty still faces an ongoing controller shortfall unrelated to the shutdown, and the FAA’s broader controller pipeline is thin even in normal times. That’s why the agency ordered airlines to trim schedules — cuts that ramped up over the last week — to prevent overloaded towers and cascading delays.

If you’re flying, assume schedules are fragile. Keep an eye on your airline’s app, watch gate screens like a hawk, and build in buffer time — especially if you’re connecting through big hubs like Chicago, Denver, or Atlanta. Even with the shutdown likely ending soon, the ripple effects can linger past the vote.