Boston's Logan Airport seeing cancellations due to FAA flight cuts during government shutdown
Passengers flying out of Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts are starting to see cuts and cancellations as a result of the ongoing government shutdown.
Logan is one of 40 airports where the Federal Aviation Administration is planning to slash airline capacity by 10%, according to a proposed list provided to CBS News by a source familiar with the discussions. The cuts intended to ease pressure on unpaid air traffic controllers would start on Friday, November 7 and increase going into next week, but the list is still subject to change.
Massport confirmed that Logan is on the list and that cancellations are already happening.
"We are starting to see cancellations tomorrow at Boston Logan due to FAA flight reductions," Massport said in a statement Thursday. "We are expecting airlines to reach out to passengers directly. We urge passengers to check with their airline before coming to the airport."
The agency said earlier this week that the airport has not seen any operational impacts so far due to the shutdown.
Boston served a record 43 million flyers in 2024, with more than 40 airlines flying to over 100 destinations. The airport said it broke another record in October when a combined 81,000 passengers departed on Oct. 9-10, the highest ever at Logan.
U.S. Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy posted to social media Thursday that "it's going to be rough heading into the holidays" if the shutdown continues, and blamed Congressional Democrats for the situation. On the other side, Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey posted, "Trump and MAGA Republicans would rather shut down our air space than agree to protect your health care."
Flight-tracking app Flighty estimates delays could increase from 20% on a normal day to as much as 40% with the 10% reduction in air traffic.
Massport officials urged travelers to check their flight status directly with their airlines. Travel experts suggest using use apps like Flighty, FlightAware or Flightradar24 before heading to the airport.
"Something we offer within Flighty is the ability to track your inbound plane. That's the thing that's really going to affect probably your flight the most," said Paul Bernardini with Flighty.
Airlines respond to potential FAA cuts
United Airlines is telling passengers that it will try to give them several days of advance notice if their flight is affected. The airline also said any traveling customer is eligible for a refund during this period, even if their flight is not impacted.
American Airlines said it expects "the vast majority" of scheduled flights to proceed as planned, but will reach out to anyone whose plans will have to change.
JetBlue's website says that in most cases, passengers will automatically be rebooked on another flight if the FAA cuts affect them. Anyone whose flight is canceled and decides not to travel will be eligible for a refund.
A spokesperson for Delta Airlines said they expect to operate "the vast majority of our schedule," but said customers should check their flight status before heading to the airport.
Impact on holiday travel
Pilots say the cuts will create ripple effects during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year.
"The airlines make a vast majority of their annual revenue around Thanksgiving and the holidays, and this is going to be an absolute train wreck," said retired military and longtime commercial pilot Matthew Buckley.
Buckley says his biggest concern is for the air traffic controllers having to work with no pay.
"These folks working for no money is just obscene," said Matthew Buckley. "They have got to be at the top of their game."
Passenger regrets traveling to U.S.
Tashana Pedersen is laying over in Boston on her way home to Dubai. Her flight was canceled Thursday night and she's uncertain if her new flight will actually take off on Friday.
"I only came to find out my flight was canceled after I walked over to the screen to see if the gate was changed," Pedersen said. "I was warned not to come to the U.S. We have been told that it's having a few challenges right now and it's not the best place for foreigners to be, nor is it the best place to try and travel around at the moment and I ignored that advice and now I'm regretting it."
Sean Horton of Reading was at the airport Thursday morning. He's flying to Florida to watch the New England Patriots take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, and is nervous about getting home.
"It'll be miserable if it happens, it won't be good," Horton said.
Marcia Francis, who was headed home to Atlanta from Logan on Wednesday, is worried if family from Boston will be able to visit her for Thanksgiving.
"I'm just hoping for safety, first of all, and timeliness," she said. "We've seen plane crashes, we've seen delays, it has been a challenging time for something we so long assumed to be without problems."
WBZ-TV's Brandon Truitt and Aaron Parseghian contributed to this report.