Fed-up CLT passengers fear missing return trips, as FAA flight cancellations rise
Gino and Jessica Carr felt relieved Friday after learning their flight from Charlotte to Tampa, Florida, was spared cancellation, even as the first day began for mandatory air traffic limits due to the government shutdown.
There already were over 40 canceled flights at Charlotte Douglas International Airport by lunchtime Friday.
As the federal shutdown lumbered into a second month, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight reductions at 40 U.S. airports to help ease the pressure faced by air traffic controllers. Charlotte Douglas was one of those targets, and also the only airport in the Carolinas to face such restrictions.
The airport has approximately 1,800 daily arrivals and departures, according to its website. Under the FAA orders, that would mean a reduction of approximately 180 flights for 10% of flights.
Gino Carr kept checking his emails throughout the night for any news about the flight. “Every time I got a ding, I was a little worried that they were canceling my flight,” he said.
While the Carrs won’t miss their cruise to Mexico and The Bahamas, they remain concerned about if their return flight will be canceled. Plenty of other passengers going in and out of the world’s sixth-busiest airport felt the same way.
A number of them also shared this sentiment: “It’s kind of terrible that the government can’t get its act together and open it up,” Gino Carr said. “All of these (air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration workers) are basically working for free, and now there are plenty of people who are going to be stranded.”
Charlotte airport flight delays, cancellations mounting
Charlotte Douglas saw 351 delays yesterday, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Since Nov. 1, CLT has seen 1,242 delays, according to a Charlotte Observer review of data from FlightAware, a website providing real-time flight information. As of 5:15 p.m. Friday, there were 115 delays and 41 cancellations.
That’s on top of more than 5,000 delays since October, and nearly 6,200 over the course of the shutdown.
The FAA’s order began Friday with reductions of 4% and will increase over the next few days to 10%. On Friday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the mandatory cancellations could climb to as much as 20% if the shutdown continues, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The shutdown began on Oct. 1 after Congress couldn’t agree on a plan to fund federal agencies. Flight reductions are just one of many consequences, as Republicans and Democrats continue to blame each other for the shutdown.
‘Blame game’ continues
Like the Carrs, Marietta Hamilton of Houston was concerned Thursday about her Friday morning flight from Texas to Charlotte to visit friends and attend a class at Deus Divinity School in Rock Hill. “I was worried about it all night,” she said. “Is it going to change? Am I going to miss it?”
Along with the frustration and stress of arriving hours early, she’s worried about her flight back to Houston.
“Everyone is saying this is the new America,” Hamilton said. “We have to adjust and who knows what to expect next. It’s very inconvenient for the American people. We have enough stress with everything that’s going on, and these types of things just add to our stress and mental health.”
Heather Lollman of Canton, Ohio, made it to Charlotte without hassle to meet with friends for a girls’ trip around the city. But she’s worried about her Monday flight back home.
She’s also concerned about her friend, whose flight from Chicago to Charlotte was canceled because of the FAA order. Instead of arriving at 7 p.m., her friend decided to book a flight to Asheville instead and drive to Charlotte.
“I think it’s really sad,” Lollman said about the situation. “I hate that all these workers at the airport aren’t getting paid for the last 30-plus days. I hope it ends soon.”
Sitting nearby, Joyce Carr (no relation to the Tampa-bound passengers) said she’s never seen anything like this in her lifetime. Like Lollman, she’s also from Canton and came to Charlotte to attend her grandson’s wedding in Raleigh.
“The blame game is getting worse,” Carr said. “I hope that somebody on either side decides to stop this shutdown and help the people who need it most.”
During her travels, she thanked the employees.
“I know the struggle they’re going through,” she said, “and I thanked them for still doing their jobs.”
This story was originally published November 7, 2025 at 2:30 PM.
