The Flight Aware Misery Map shows the significant number of delayed flights at different airports on Thursday, and which have been particularly impacted nationwide, amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The shutdown is continuing to put increasing strain on air travel, resulting in widespread delays, cancellations and airport closures, prompting Vice President JD Vance to warn that flying in November could be a “disaster.”
Why It Matters
With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching at the end of November, the upcoming month is set to be a busy time for travel, both on the road and in the air. Last year, travel around Thanksgiving hit record numbers—1.7 million more people traveled than in 2023, with 79.9 million going to destinations at least 50 miles from their homes, according to the American Automobile Association.
Throughout October, delays and cancellations have hit many of America’s airports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has previously warned that air traffic controllers are becomingly increasingly overworked and financially stressed as they forgo pay checks.
Since the start of the shutdown, staffing has reportedly been reduced by 50 percent in some areas.
What To Know
Flight Aware’s Misery Map shows there was major disruption on Thursday, with over 900 delays at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) alone, plus more than 200 cancellations.
At 4 a.m. ET, there had only been a small number of delays, 30, with 2 cancellations, but by 9 a.m. ET that number was 344, with 16 cancellations.
The airports particularly affected at 9 a.m. ET included John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York (52), Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in the District of Columbia (36) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), in Illinois, (31).
Later in the day, at 2 p.m. ET, the number of delays ramped up to 864 at the start of the peak flight time, with 77 cancellations.
Airports particularly affected at that time included LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York (95 delays), Logan International Airport (BOS) in Boston, (45) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey (66).
By 7 p.m. ET, toward the end of the peak travel period, the number of flights delayed soared to 931 delays and 256 cancellations.
Once again, LaGuardia Airport was particularly affected by delays, with 132 disruptions, as was John F Kennedy International Airport (102) and Logan International Airport (98).
The vice president said on Thursday in a meeting at the White House that air travel “could be a disaster, it really could be, because at that point you’re talking about people missing three paychecks, they’ve missed four paychecks.”
He added that the controllers “are doing heroic things to make it work as well as it possibly can.”
Amid the travel chaos, lawmakers on either side of the political aisle have been pointing the finger at their opponents, with the GOP saying the Democrats are to blame for the lack of a funding resolution, and Democrats have in turn blamed the GOP for the ongoing shutdown.
What People Are Saying
Vice President JD Vance said at the White House on Thursday: “Every single person I talk to, to a word, they are worried that the delays reach a point where it makes it very, very hard for the American people to fly.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Thursday: “Don’t hold us hostage. Don’t hold American families’ travel hostage. Don’t hold air traffic controllers hostage. Open the government. Have a conversation. Let’s get it resolved.”
What Happens Next
As no meaningful negotiations have yet been made by the two parties in Congress, it is likely that the major travel disruption will continue.
