Airports in Dallas and Houston are required to begin reducing flights and other operations Nov. 7 in response to air traffic controller shortages caused by the federal government shutdown, transportation officials announced Nov. 6. Within the next seven days, 40 airports nationwide are required to cut their flights by 10% to "maintain the highest standards of safety in the national airspace system," officials said.

What you need to know

The cuts will affect 40 "high impact airports" across the country, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration. Airports are required to reduce operations by 4% on Nov. 7, with cuts increasing to 6% by Nov. 11, 8% by Nov. 13 and 10% by Nov. 14.

The affected Texas airports include:Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) and San Antonio International Airport (SAT) are not required to reduce operations, although Austin airport officials encouraged travelers to "be prepared for changes to their flight schedule as impacts will ripple out to airports across the country." A complete list of affected airports is available here.

The FAA issued a Nov. 6 emergency order directing airlines to trim flights at the listed airports beginning Nov. 7. The cuts will remain in effect until canceled by the FAA, the order states.


Why now?

The restrictions come as the federal government shutdown surpassed the five-week mark Nov. 5, making it the longest shutdown in U.S. history after Congress missed an Oct. 1 deadline on negotiations to fund the government. The previous federal shutdown stretched from December 2018-January 2019, lasting 35 days, federal records show.

Federal employees, including air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration personnel and some pilots, are not paid while the government is shut down. This has led to staffing shortages across the country, according to USDOT.

"With continued delays and unpredictable staffing shortages, which are driving fatigue, risk is further increasing, and the FAA is concerned with the system’s ability to maintain the current volume of operations," the emergency order reads.


There were 2,740 delays at U.S. airports last weekend, according to a Nov. 6 news release.

"My department has many responsibilities, but our No. 1 job is safety," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a Nov. 6 statement. "This isn’t about politics—it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay. It’s safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe to fly next week because of the proactive actions we are taking."

Federal officials "will not hesitate to take further action" to ensure it remains safe to fly throughout the country, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said.

The local impact


Houston Airport System officials encouraged travelers to arrive early and allow extra time for security screening at IAH and HOU, according to the HAS website. At IAH, wait times may exceed 60-75 minutes, while wait times at HOU may exceed 30-45 minutes, according to the airport advisory.

To view estimated wait times at HOU, click here. To view estimated wait times at IAH, click here.

Travelers should arrive at Dallas Love Field at least two hours before their scheduled departure, the airport said in a Facebook post. A DFW airport spokesperson told Community Impact that passengers should "check their flight schedules with their airline for any possible changes and allow extra time at the airport" amid the cuts.

Travelers can check with individual airlines for flight-specific information, including cancellations. Airlines are not required to cut international flights, according to USDOT.


More details

Airlines are required to issue full refunds for the cost of canceled flights, per the FAA order, although they do not have to cover "secondary costs." Officials with multiple large airlines released statements regarding the flight reductions.

American Airlines said it had cut flights by 4% for Nov. 7-10, resulting in about 220 flights canceled each day. The airline will continue to operate about 6,000 daily flights, according to a Nov. 6 statement.

"Disrupting customers’ plans is the last thing we want to do, and we have issued a travel waiver. To provide additional flexibility during the impacted travel period, customers whose flights are canceled for any reason or who choose not to travel will be able to change their flight or request a refund without any penalty," American Airlines said.


Southwest Airlines said it had canceled about 120 flights across 34 airports. All customers who are booked on Southwest flights through Nov. 12 may adjust their travel plans at no cost or receive a refund, according to a Nov. 6 news release from the airline.

"Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees," the release reads. "We continue to urge Congress to immediately resolve its impasse and restore the National Airspace System to its full capacity."

In a Nov. 5 statement, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the airline would "make rolling updates to our schedule as the government shutdown continues so we can give our customers several days' advance notice and to minimize disruption."

"Any customer traveling during this period is eligible for a refund if they do not wish to fly—even if their flight isn't impacted," Kirby wrote. "That includes non-refundable tickets and those customers with basic economy tickets."

Delta Airlines said Nov. 6 that it would also provide "additional flexibility to our customers traveling to, from or through the impacted markets" while flights are cut back, noting that the airline "expects to operate the vast majority of our flights as scheduled."