US Carriers Face Potential Penalties Over Shutdown Flight Cuts
The Federal Aviation Administration has launched a formal investigation into whether major US airlines complied with its November 2025 emergency order to reduce flights at 40 busy airports during the federal government shutdown. The agency has contacted airlines, including United, Delta, American, Southwest, and JetBlue, to provide documentation showing they followed the mandated flight-reduction limits. Airlines that exceeded those limits could face civil penalties of up to $75,000 per flight. The investigation comes after reports of possible non-compliance emerged during the shutdown, which produced widespread operational and financial fallout across the industry, as reported by AeroTime.