US airlines are quantifying the financial damage from the 43-day federal shutdown, with major carriers slashing Q4 earnings forecasts due to flight disruptions and booking declines. Southwest cut guidance to $500 million from $600-800 million, while Delta reported a $200 million hit driven by refunds and reduced bookings.
Some Transportation Security Administration employees who worked through the six-week federal shutdown without pay have begun receiving $10,000 bonus checks, according to US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The payments follow days of public discussion about recognizing air traffic controllers' service during the shutdown.
The United States government shutdown ended with the House vote to approve a funding bill, restoring pay to hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Airlines, airports, and the Federal Aviation Administration expect delays as staffing stabilizes, but the agency will begin lifting capacity restrictions on a rolling basis.
The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into whether major US airlines complied with its emergency order requiring carriers to cut flights at 40 of the nation's busiest airports during the 43-day federal government shutdown. The agency has contacted airlines that operate more than 10 daily flights at any affected airport and is seeking documentation showing compliance.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began enforcing flight reductions at 40 of the nation's busiest airports, citing a need to manage workload during the federal government shutdown. The FAA confirmed that airlines were instructed to scale back domestic operations, with capacity reductions beginning around 4% and rising towards 10%.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that 776 air traffic controllers and technicians will receive $10,000 bonuses for working without pay during the recent government shutdown. The bonus plan was originally proposed by President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post and aims to reward employees with perfect attendance during the historic 43-day shutdown.