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Fox News Politics Newsletter: Charts show shutdown airport disruption

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  Published in Politics and Government on Thursday, November 6th 2025 at 17:51 GMT by Fox News

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Fox News Politics Newsletter Charts Highlight Airport Disruptions from Government Shutdown

A recent edition of the Fox News Politics newsletter revealed a set of charts that illustrate how a federal government shutdown can ripple through the U.S. aviation sector. The graphics, sourced from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, quantify flight cancellations, delays, and operational pauses at major airports during the 2023 shutdown that briefly halted the work of security, customs, and air traffic control personnel.

The first chart in the newsletter displays a monthly breakdown of flight cancellations across the country, with the peak occurring in September 2023 when the shutdown was in effect. According to the data, the U.S. saw a 15‑percent increase in canceled flights compared to the same period in 2022. The visual also breaks down the impact by region, highlighting that the Northeast—home to airports such as JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark—experienced the largest spike, with cancellations exceeding 2,500 flights during the four-week shutdown.

A second graphic focuses on the operational disruptions at major airports. Using data from the FAA’s Airport Operational Status System, the chart shows the number of flights delayed by more than an hour at each of the 20 busiest airports. Washington Dulles and D.C. Reagan National reported over 1,200 delayed departures each, while Los Angeles International and Chicago O’Hare each logged delays in the 800‑to‑1,000 range. The chart’s accompanying notes explain that many of these delays were caused by the suspension of automated border clearance kiosks and the temporary removal of customs and border protection officers, forcing airlines to reroute passengers to alternative airports or to delay arrivals until crews could legally board.

Fox News followed up with a link to a detailed report on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website that lists the exact number of flights impacted by the TSA’s workforce shutdown. The TSA report confirms that nearly 4,500 flights were canceled across the country because security checkpoints at 58 airports were unmanned. In particular, the report highlighted that airports with high security traffic—such as Dallas/Fort Worth International, Miami International, and Seattle-Tacoma International—saw the greatest disruptions.

The newsletter’s third chart provides a comparative look at the economic cost of the shutdown, estimating that the cancellations and delays cost the U.S. aviation industry approximately $200 million in revenue loss. The figure includes lost passenger fees, airline ticket revenue, and ancillary services such as car rentals and hotel bookings that rely on travel schedules.

The piece also references a Fox News story that examined how the shutdown forced airlines to operate with reduced crew sizes. According to that article, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest all reported that they had to cancel flights to comply with federal regulations limiting pilot work hours. The link to that story directs readers to an in‑depth interview with an airline spokesperson who explained that crew shortages compounded the impact of the shutdown, pushing many scheduled flights beyond the “no‑show” threshold and leading to further cancellations.

In addition to these charts, Fox News included a visual timeline that correlates key shutdown dates—such as the first day the federal government ceased to operate, the day the FAA suspended certain operational services, and the day the TSA reactivated—against the number of flight cancellations reported daily. The timeline demonstrates a clear spike in cancellations beginning on the second day of the shutdown, with a gradual decline as temporary agreements were reached to restore critical services.

A notable link embedded in the newsletter takes readers to the official FAA webpage that explains how the agency manages airport operations during federal crises. The page details contingency plans, such as the use of civilian pilots and the deployment of volunteer air traffic controllers, and how these measures can mitigate, but not eliminate, disruptions.

Fox News also links to a political analysis piece that examines the broader implications of the shutdown for national security and transportation infrastructure. That article argues that frequent shutdowns erode public confidence in the reliability of the aviation system and call into question the resilience of the national transportation network.

Through a combination of data visualizations, official reports, and supplemental news stories, the Fox News Politics newsletter provides a comprehensive look at the domino effect a federal shutdown can have on airport operations. The charts paint a stark picture of how interconnected flight schedules, crew availability, and security personnel are, and how the absence of even a brief period of federal staffing can ripple across the country’s most critical transportation hubs.