Amid the ongoing government shutdown, federal officials will trim U.S. air traffic by 10% across 40 high-volume markets starting Friday, citing staffing shortages and controller fatigue. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the phased cuts aim to protect safety, with affected markets to be named Thursday and impacts extending to commercial airspace and space launches. Airlines were caught off guard and await a formal order; early guidance suggests 4% reductions Friday, 5% Saturday, reaching 10% next week. Thousands of flights have been delayed this week, though American Airlines expects customers to travel as planned Thursday.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.