What a difference a few days makes

With the government on the cusp of reopening, can air travel recover by Thanksgiving?

Flight cancellations seem to be more stable today, holding at ~1,200 as of 1pm EST. Between Friday and Monday, we saw the baseline 4% cuts mandated by the FAA PLUS many more that built over the course of the day. Today's the first day of 6% cuts at 40 airports. 8% would begin Thursday, 10% Friday.

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines still recovering from major backups in Atlanta this weekend, where 18 of 22 air traffic controllers reportedly were out on Saturday. 495 network+regional cancellations Monday for Delta.

American Airlines COO David Seymour in letter to employees: 1,400 cancellations this weekend, 250k passengers affected. “We expect there will be continued cancellations and delays in addition to the FAA-required reductions.”

We have full coverage of the flight disruptions affecting airports across the country, now live on @thepointsguy.com. Here's the latest on the cancellations that began Friday, and the delays that continue to mount

Latest on the FAA-mandated flight cancellations that began today live for @thepointsguy.com

United published a list of all its flight cancellations through the weekend. About half of customers were rebooked within four hours of their original departure, the carrier said www.united.com/en/us/fly/co...

More on how each major U.S. airline is handling the FAA-mandated flight reductions:

American Airlines: "To provide additional flexibility during the impacted travel period, customers whose flights are cancelled for any reason or who choose not to travel will be able to change their flight or request a refund, without any penalty."

Delta: Long-haul international flights won't be affected, extra flexibility for refunds

Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle on social media last night: "If you are flying Friday or in the next ten days and need to be there or don’t want to be stranded I highly recommend booking a backup ticket on another carrier."

American Airlines to customers: “There is no need for customers to take any action. Any customer whose flight is impacted will be proactively notified by American Airlines. We will do our best to notify customers as early as possible.”

In letter to employees Wednesday night, United CEO Scott Kirby said the airline would NOT cancel long-haul international and hub-to-hub flights. United Express regional flights are among those that could see cuts

Busy day on the aviation beat. Major flight cuts to begin Friday as the government shutdown becomes the longest in history

Houston (IAH) expecting more 3-hour security wait times today due to TSA staffing shortages -- only 2 checkpoints open. Fortunately, not seeing huge TSA backups on a national scale: 5-minute waits in the standard lanes on average, yesterday, TSA said. 2-minute waits in the PreCheck lanes.

American Airlines will make Scotland the first international destination for its new Airbus A321XLR

American Airlines will retrofit its Boeing 777-200ERs, outfitting its long-haul workhorse with its new Flagship Suites product up front

Now live: United-JetBlue 'Blue Sky' partnership begins with earning, redeeming on either airline

Southwest today also announced plans to update the cabins of some older Boeing 737-700s with power outlets at each seats

Southwest Airlines will launch its latest generation cabin and seats this week in what the carrier is calling a “major milestone” in its commercial transformation

“Sorry I missed your email, I was on a flight.” It’s quickly becoming an obsolete excuse as airlines make major investments in on-board Wi-Fi — which, increasingly, is free for customers

British Airways unveils new Miami lounge — its biggest outside of London, and an attractive new option for Oneworld (including American Airlines) elite status flyers passing through the Florida hub. This MIA lounge (along with one in Dubai Dubai) also debuts BA's all-new global lounge concept

Breeze Airways on Essential Air Service flights out of Dulles and RDU as funding is set to expire Sunday: "We recognize the importance of accessible travel options in these communities and intend to continue that service for as long as possible in the interim.”

TSA spokesperson, regarding airport checkpoints during the shutdown: “TSA has not experienced any delay in operations due to callouts and remains fully capable of facilitating safe and secure travel for passengers.”

The Regional Airline Association weighs in on the expected lapse, Sunday, in Essential Air Service funding: "This program is an essential economic lifeline for over 500 rural communities who are often hit the hardest whenever there is disruption in the National Airspace System."

UPDATE: Alaska Airlines tells me it will continue operating its Essential Air Service flights to Alaska "as scheduled" during the federal government shutdown. The Trump administration said EAS funding will lapse after Sunday

In the first few days of the federal government shutdown, the FAA has seen air traffic controller staffing drop by up to 50% in some places.

What consumers should know about booking flights on Spirit Airlines. And travel insurance probably won't help you if buy now and they shut down, it's akin to a preexisting condition. via @seancudahy.bsky.social

Texas-sized fanfare: EVA Air's swanky premium economy makes US debut on DFW inaugural

What to know about travel during a government shutdown via @clintphenderson.bsky.social

American to spiff up its regional jets with fresh cabin design, new-look seats

Is JetBlue building a connecting hub in Fort Lauderdale? Their latest round of new routes taking aim at Spirit suggest they might be but, don't forget, they did recently pull out of a number of big markets like Bogotá and Lima. via @seancudahy.bsky.social

Delta Air Lines will launch nonstop flights to Malta and Sardinia in 2026, after allowing customers and employees to vote on its next European destination. Details:

At Morgan Stanley Laguna conference, Delta Air Lines president Glen Hauenstein noted a jump in business travel demand: highest post-pandemic corporate sales day came in September.

Budget airline Allegiant is plotting a big shakeup for its loyalty program

The Trump administration this week pulled a proposed rule that would have given airline passengers cash compensation for certain flight delays and cancellations

Each of the six largest U.S. airlines have now either launched free Wi-Fi, started rolling it out, or announced plans to make the service free to customers. No more avoiding those emails inflight!

Second major inflight Wi-Fi announcement of the day. Southwest Airlines will make its on-board internet free to Rapid Rewards loyalty members starting next month

JetBlue announces it will be the first airline to partner with Amazon's Project Kuiper on new, upgraded Wi-Fi service for some of its planes beginning in 2027

Alaska Airlines' top loyalty exec weighs in on the airline's decision to leave its popular setup for redeeming points in place as it launched Atmos Rewards with Hawaiian Airlines. "We're not trying to hoodwink anybody. And so I think that mentality continues."

American Airlines announces major expansion of lounge footprint in Charlotte

According to Greenland Airports, Nuuk International Airport will resume international flights on Thursday with security personnel from Denmark on hand assisting.

United Airlines expects its flights to and from Nuuk, Greenland to resume this weekend after security concerns led the airport to halt all international departures this week

Delta doubles down on Boston with new Europe routes for summer 2026, from @davidslotnick.bsky.social

United Airlines will return to Greenland for a second summer in 2026

Southwest Airlines and China Airlines made their partnership official this week, and announced itineraries w/ connections between the two carriers will launch Jan. 19. They also committed to a deeper loyalty tie-up in the not-too-distant future

Just in: Delta is weighing nonstop service to Malta, Ibiza and Sardinia next summer — and is letting its SkyMiles loyalty members vote on which one it should fly

By 2027, the only aircraft type in the Alaska-Hawaiian network that won't have Starlink will be Hawaiian's Boeing 717s

Alaska Airlines to outfit its fleet with Starlink Wi-Fi, matching Hawaiian Airlines. The service will be free for Atmos Rewards members, and is expected to be fully deployed by 2027