Airlines still canceling flights under FAA order. At RDU, delays are more common.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- FAA ordered flight reductions during 2025 shutdown; airlines cut schedules nationwide.
- RDU seeing relatively few cancellations but significant delays, some due to weather.
- Airlines must notify passengers of cancellations and offer rebooking or refunds.
Most travelers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport will find that their flights haven’t been cancelled as a result of the federal government shutdown.
Whether their flights are on time is another matter.
Airlines are continuing to trim flights from their schedules as directed by the Federal Aviation Administration during the shutdown. The FAA wants to reduce the workload on air traffic controllers, who have now missed two full paychecks since the government shutdown began Oct. 1.
But at RDU, the impact of the FAA’s order remains minimal. As of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, only a dozen arrivals and departures had been scrubbed for the day, including five flights to or from New York.
Travelers will more likely face delays, particularly later in the day as slowdowns at major hub airports snowball. More than 30 flights scheduled to leave RDU after 4 p.m. Monday were delayed, some by hours.
Overall on Monday, 185 flights were delayed in and out of RDU, according to data compiled by FlightAware. Weather was a factor in many cases, as a winter storm moved through the Northeast.
Nationwide, Sunday was the worst day for cancellations and delays since the FAA directive was put in place, according to FlightAware. Nearly 3,000 flights were canceled nationwide, including 57 at RDU, and more than 11,000 were delayed.
The U.S. Senate approved a bill late Monday that would reopen the government and restore pay for air traffic controllers and other federal workers. But it’s not clear when or if the House will approve the measure and send it on to President Trump.
In the meantime, the FAA order to reduce air traffic remains in place. The agency ordered a 4% reduction in flights on Friday, Nov. 7, increasing to 6% by Tuesday, 8% by Thursday and 10% by this Friday. The cuts are concentrated on 40 airports, including most major hubs such as Charlotte Douglas International.
RDU is not among them, but many of the places to which Triangle residents fly are affected. Airlines are required to notify passengers in advance if their flights have been cancelled and to rebook them on other flights or refund their money.
This story was originally published November 11, 2025 at 10:50 AM.
