(MENAFN- Live Mint) Airlines across the US have started cancelling flights amid the longest government shutdown in history, disrupting air travel and forcing thousands of passengers to change their plans.

Hundreds of flights have already been suspended by the country's four largest carriers. As a result, the nation's busiest aviation market has turned into a flashpoint in the ongoing battle between Republicans and Democrats over federal funding, Bloomberg reported. US President Donald Trump has intensified pressure to reach a deal.

The Republican-led administration says the reductions are necessary to maintain flight safety amid staffing shortages caused by the shutdown, while at least one senior congressional Democrat has called for greater transparency to ensure the move isn't politically motivated.

Denver proposes to personally pay airport staffers amid shutdown

A Colorado city has proposed keeping the nation's third-busiest airport operational by personally funding air traffic controllers during the historic government shutdown, according to a report by Politico.

This comes after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA 's unprecedented order to scale down routes nationwide because of the government shutdown.

Denver's plan, which requires approval from the FAA, aims to prevent a 10% flight reduction ordered for major U.S. airports, including Denver International Airport, Mayor Mike Johnston told Politico on Thursday.

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“The Denver Airport is maybe the largest economic driver in the Rocky Mountain West,” the Democrat told the outlet.

“It is critical not just to our quality of life, but to our economic health,” he added.

The city-managed airport formally requested a waiver from the FAA on Wednesday to pay its staff, but had not received a response as of Thursday, according to the report.

FAA orders flight cuts

The FAA-selected slowdown affects 40 airports across more than two dozen states, including major hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Nationwide, over 800 flights were cancelled, four times the number called off on Thursday, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website, AP reported.

The FAA announced that flight reductions would begin at 4% and increase to 10% by the following Friday. The cuts, affecting all commercial airlines, are scheduled to take place daily between 6 AM and 10 PM.

Why is this happening?

The agency stated that the cuts are necessary to alleviate pressure on air traffic controllers, who have been working without pay for more than a month. Many are working six-day weeks with mandatory overtime, and an increasing number of them have begun calling out due to the mounting financial strain and exhaustion.

“You can't expect people to go into work when they're not getting a paycheck,” said Kelly Matthews of Flat Rock, Michigan, a frequent business traveller who has cancelled most of her upcoming trips.“I mean it's not a matter of them not wanting to do the job - but you can't afford to pay for gas, your day care and everything else.”

The order comes as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Democrats in Congress to end the shutdown.

What can airlines do?

Airlines said they would try to minimise the impact on customers. Some planned to focus on slashing routes to and from small and medium-sized cities, AP reported.

Carriers are required to refund customers whose flights are cancelled, but not to cover secondary costs such as food and hotel accommodations, unless a delay or cancellation results from a contributing factor that is within the control of the airline, according to the Department of Transportation.

Travelers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) in Seattle, Washington, US, on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Airlines across the US began canceling flights scheduled for the coming days, as the longest government shutdown in history upends air travel and forces thousands of passengers to change their travel plans. Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg

Industry analyst Henry Harteveldt warned that the reductions will“have a noticeable impact across the U.S. air transportation system.”

The cuts could also slow package service as two airports on the list are major distribution centers for delivery companies: FedEx in Memphis, Tennessee, and UPS in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of this week's deadly cargo plane crash.

(With inputs from AP, Politico)

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