US Flight Reduction Plan 11-11-25

The DOT's list of 40 airports subject to flight reductions in November 2025 includes a mix of major national and international hubs and specific city airports. The list includes Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago (ORD/MDW), Dallas (DFW/DAL), Denver (DEN), Houston (IAH/HOU), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK/LGA), Orlando (MCO), Philadelphia (PHL), Phoenix (PHX), Portland (PDX), Salt Lake City (SLC), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), and Tampa (TPA). The DOT and FAA have identified this list of 40 airports due to the impact of the government shutdown on air traffic controller staffing.  

Airports in the list

Midwest: Indianapolis (IND), Chicago (ORD/MDW), Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG), Detroit (DTW), and Louisville (SDF)

South: Charlotte (CLT), Dallas (DFW/DAL), Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL), Houston (HOU/IAH), Memphis (MEM), Miami (MIA), Orlando (MCO), Tampa (TPA), and Baltimore/Washington (BWI)

Washington D.C. area: Baltimore/Washington (BWI), Dulles (IAD), and Reagan National (DCA)

West: Denver (DEN), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Oakland (OAK), Ontario (ONT), Portland (PDX), Phoenix (PHX), San Diego (SAN), Seattle/Tacoma (SEA), San Francisco (SFO), and Salt Lake City (SLC)

Hawaii and Alaska: Anchorage (ANC) and Honolulu (HNL) 

Reasoning for reductions

The DOT announced the reductions as a "precautionary measure" to "reduce the risk profile in the national airspace" due to staffing shortages at the FAA.The reductions are scheduled to be implemented gradually, starting with smaller cuts and increasing to as much as 10% by November 14th, according to Yahoo News Canada. 

On November 6, 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in coordination with the Department of Transportation (DOT), issued an emergency order to reduce flight operations at 40 high-traffic airports across the United States. The order, prompted by air traffic controller staffing shortages during a government shutdown, requires a 10% reduction in daily domestic flights at affected airports by November 14. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=DOT+list+the+40+hub+airports+that+will+be+subject+to+flight+reductions+november+2025+according+to+dot&

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader