Air Travel May Not Fully Recover Post-Shutdown, With Thanksgiving Season Around The Corner

A major trade association representing American, Delta, Southwest and United Airlines warned Monday residual effects from the government shutdown could still impact air travel for days after the government is reopened.

Airlines for America announced disruptions in travel could persist, following the Senate’s passage of a funding bill to reopen the government, which will now move to the House for approval later this week. The 42-day shutdown, the longest in history, has upended travel plans for millions as air traffic controllers have gone over a month without pay, forcing them to resort to donating plasma or driving for DoorDash and Uber to pay their bills.

“Airlines’ reduced flight schedules cannot immediately bounce back to full capacity right after the government reopens. It will take time, and there will be residual effects for days. With the Thanksgiving travel period beginning next week and the busy shipping season around the corner, the time to act is now to help mitigate any further impacts to Americans,” the trade association’s statement said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered airlines to cut their flights by 4-10% at 40 airports nationwide on Nov. 7, citing mounting stress on air traffic controllers. The flight reductions increased to 6% on Tuesday and will grow to 10% on Friday, just one week before pre-Thanksgiving travel is expected to begin.

On Sunday, one in ten scheduled flights did not take off and over 10,000 trips were delayed, marking the fourth-worst day of 2025 for flight cancellations, per the