Copyright Star Tribune
The FAA mandated each airline cut 4% of its airplane traffic on Friday, with a goal of cutting 10% in a week if the government shutdown is not resolved by then. The Minnesota Star Tribune November 7, 2025 at 11:13PM Travelers navigated Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in stride on Friday as the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history ushered in a new mandate to remove dozens of airplanes from the sky. Airlines slashed hundreds of flights from their schedules, including 38 at MSP on Friday, to comply with a directive from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) meant to relieve pressure on overtaxed air traffic controllers. The mandate, which required a 4% reduction Friday, came at the direction of the Trump administration without request from air traffic controllers. Over the next week, the directive phases in steeper flight reductions toward a goal of 10% of each airline’s domestic air travel by Nov. 14. The mandate did not order a reduction in international travel. The disruptions played out against the backdrop of a stalemate in Washington, D.C., as Democrats in Congress held firm in their resolve not to vote to reopen government until expiring health insurance subsidies were restored, while Republicans insisted on reopening the government before debating the matter. Air traffic controllers are forced to work without pay during the impasse. Inbound and outbound flights at MSP were canceled Friday, with dozens more cancellations slated through the weekend, forcing some travelers to find last-minute workarounds. Common snafus like nearly missing a connection carried the added weight of knowing fewer backup plans were available, travelers said in interviews at the airport Friday. Affected destinations included Chicago, Denver, Minot, N.D., and Green Bay, Wis. Despite scattered delays, national on-time flight performance remained high — above 93% — and cancellations stayed below levels commonly seen for severe weather or IT outages, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company. Meghan Colburn, left, and Sierra Garand, right, arrived several hours early for their flight in Terminal 2 at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in St. Paul on Friday. (Leila Navidi) Delta Air Lines, the dominant passenger carrier in the Twin Cities, slashed 180 flights nationally, including 14 on Friday at MSP, which is Delta’s second-busiest hub. Most of the local reductions were made on regional routes run by its wholly owned subsidiary Endeavor Air. Air traffic control staffing was under strain at airports in San Francisco, Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., but not MSP, according to the FAA’s dashboard on Friday afternoon. MSP passenger Kelly Fails, 55, said Friday he would be “rolling the dice” and spending another night at his Twin Cities hotel if his airline canceled his return flight. “That’s all we can do,” he said. “If I get stuck here, good. I’m going to go have more fun at the mall.” Kelly Fails, left, who is visiting Minneapolis from San Antonio for a business trip with his friend Josefina Hernandez, left, walk together through Terminal 2 after picking up their luggage at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in St. Paul on Friday. (Leila Navidi) Emmy Martin, Kyeland Jackson, Victor Stefanescu and Simon Peter Groebner of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this report.
