Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the Trump administration will start cutting US airline flight capacity by 10% starting Friday thanks to the government shutdown, though it’s unclear whether SFO flights will be affected.
Congratulations, everybody, we are now enduring the longest US government shutdown ever, surpassing the mark of (of course) Trump’s last government shutdown in 2018-19. And while this is affecting many Americans in many painful ways, one very prominent pain point is a shortage of air traffic controllers, who are working without pay, and understandably calling in sick like mad.
Now the Associated Press reports that the Trump administration is demanding that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reduce all US airline flights by 10%, starting this Friday, November 7. KRON4 says the cuts will be applied to 40 “high-volume” markets, which presumably would mean some of the 40 busiest airports across the US.
“I anticipate there will be additional disruptions,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday, according to KRON4. “There will be frustration. We are working with the airlines, they are going to work with passengers, but in the end our sole role is to keep this airspace as safe as possible.”
Flights at SFO are "likely" to be affected by this, as the Chronicle reports, but the higher-ups in the Trump administration have not yet decided which of these “40 high-volume markets” are going to see their flight counts cut. And the whole thing may also just be a threat tactic, along the lines of “Trump Always Chickens Out.”
Either way, we should know more Thursday. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford are reportedly meeting with officials from top US airlines today, and are expected to make an announcement on any planned volumes or locations of flight cuts tomorrow morning.
Image: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 08: A United Airlines plane takes off from San Francisco International Airport on October 08, 2025 in San Francisco, California. For a third straight day, flight delays are being seen across the country as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is experiencing continued airport staffing shortages due to the government shutdown. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
