Air travel could be reduced to 'trickle' as Thanksgiving approaches, Sean Duffy says
- - Air travel could be reduced to 'trickle' as Thanksgiving approaches, Sean Duffy says
Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY November 10, 2025 at 2:30 AM
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that air travel delays and cancelations will only spread as the country barrels into the third day of government-mandated flight cuts on Sunday, Nov. 9.
"It's only going to get worse," Duffy said in an interview with CNN. "I look to the two weeks before Thanksgiving, you're going to see air travel be reduced to a trickle."
"We have a number of people who want to get home for the holidays, they want to see their families, they want to celebrate this great American holiday," Duffy added. "Listen, many of them are not going to be able to get on an airplane, because there are not going to be that many flights that fly unless this thing doesn't open back up."
Live updates: Duffy warns air travel will be reduced to 'trickle,' thousands of flights canceled, delayed
The secretary said lawmakers should open the federal government immediately for travelers. He also cited the financial strain on federal air traffic controllers, who have gone more than a month without pay.
Duffy and other aviation officials have said the restrictions are necessary to ensure safety while air traffic controllers are understaffed, a strain exacerbated by the shutdown. He has also hit back at Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who alleged the moves are politically motivated.
"This is not political, this is strictly safety," he told CNN. "And I'm doing what I can in a mess that Democrats have put in my lap. And now I'm trying to keep the American people safe and keep airplanes flying."
Air travelers face the morning commute at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a day after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that he would order 10% of flights at 40 major U.S. airports to be cut starting Friday unless a deal to end the federal government shutdown is reached, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. November 6, 2025.
Officials initial said travelers would see a 10% reduction in flights at 40 major airports last week. But the Transportation secretary has upped that number in recent days, saying Nov. 7 that restrictions could jump to 15% or even 20% of all scheduled flights.
The restrictions have already thrown travel into chaos, as scenes of massive lines and hours-long delays pop up at airports around the country.
Over 1,000 flights were canceled across the United States by the afternoon on Saturday, Nov. 8, according to FlightAware data, and more than 1,100 had already been canceled by the morning of Sunday, Nov. 9.
The chaos has added another layer of pressure for lawmakers over the shutdown, which is now the longest in American history.
Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and on X @KathrynPlmr.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warns of cancellations and delays
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