Travel disruptions expected to continue after end of government shutdown

article

A traveler sits by a board displaying some flights as delayed or cancelled near the Southwest Airlines check-in area at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Nov. 12, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Even though the government shutdown officially ended on Wednesday, flight delays and cancellations won’t disappear right away.

Travel disruptions could linger for nearly a week even after air traffic controllers return to work, Elevate Aviation Group CEO Greg Raiff told Fox News Digital.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also cautioned Friday on Fox News that it may take several days to a week for controllers to return to their posts and for full flight schedules to resume once the government reopens. 

Flight reductions remain at 6%

The backstory:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week ordered flight cuts to ease demand on control towers, which have been short-staffed during the shutdown.  Air traffic controllers went unpaid and are required to work during a government shutdown.

To deal with the staffing shortages, saying absences and signs of stress among traffic controllers made it imperative to act in the name of public safety, the FAA ordered domestic airlines at 40 major U.S. airports to reduce operations.

Now that the government shutdown has ended, reductions are expected to stay at 6% at 40 major airports across the U.S. 

What they're saying:

Duffy on Tuesday said there were fewer cancellations than in recent days, which he attributed to more air traffic controllers returning to work after news of a shutdown agreement.

The FAA hasn’t said when it will roll back flight limits. Duffy reinforced Tuesday that the cuts will remain — even after the shutdown ends — until safety metrics improve and staffing levels stabilize at air traffic control facilities. The cuts are set to rise to 10% on Friday.

BREAKING: Trump signs funding bill, ending shutdown

President Donald Trump has now signed a bill ending a record 43-day government shutdown. The shutdown originally stemmed from a clash over healthcare funding between Democrats and Republicans. The legislation provides Fiscal Year 2025 funding to keep the government open through Jan. 30, 2026.

Thanksgiving travelers turn to buses and trains amid air travel chaos

Big picture view:

More than 55 million travelers will venture 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving, AAA has projected. 

With two weeks until Thanksgiving, there have been tens of thousands of delays impacting airlines nationwide since Friday, according to data from the flight monitoring platform, FlightAware.

Thanksgiving travelers are opting for buses and trains in the wake of the government shutdown and ensuing air travel chaos, according to reports.

Bus and train bookings are up 12% year over year, according to travel search engine Wanderu, with some routes seeing as much as a 30% surge in demand.

Amtrak said it expects record-breaking Thanksgiving travel in 2025, with double-digit growth in early rail bookings compared to last year.

"We’re preparing for one of the busiest holiday travel periods in our history," an Amtrak spokesperson told Reuters. "To meet demand, we’re expanding capacity across our Northeast Corridor routes connecting Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C."

Kai Boysan, CEO of Flix North America, which owns Greyhound and Megabus said the company is adapting to the surge.

"We anticipate more travelers may turn to ground transportation in the days ahead, and we’re monitoring demand closely," Boysan told Reuters: "We’re ready to add capacity where needed to ensure people can keep moving."