Government poised to reopen, but CLT likely won’t return to normal right away

As the federal government appears to make strides toward ending the longest government shutdown in American history, one aviation expert says flyers shouldn’t expect things to go back to normal immediately.

On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines at the 40 busiest airports to reduce their flights up to 10% over the next several days. This is a first for a government shutdown, says Ahmed Abdelghany of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Since Friday, about 400 flights were canceled at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

As airports and airlines adjust to the government reopening, passengers could still experience delays, Abdelghany said. Ensuring TSA and air traffic controllers are staffed properly is essential.

“(They must) make sure that they have the right staffing at all airports (and) make sure that they meet the demand at every facility. So this might take some time because of the situation,“ Abdelghany said.

Until the government reopens, under the current FAA mandate, airlines will likely choose to cancel flights that will inflict the least amount of damage on them financially, Abdelghany said.

“For example, imagine that out of Chicago I have a regional flight to maybe Milwaukee, Wisconsin, or if I have a flight to London. Which one you think an airline will cancel? Of course, it's the regional one. Because it’s typically a small aircraft. Typically, it’s a multi-frequency route. So if I cancel the morning one, I can accommodate passengers on flights (later) in the day.”

But once the government does reopen, passengers should still expect delays. Multiple factors in addition to the government shutdown such as the weather or delays at other airports can impact flights at any time.

A spokesperson for the airport said while it’s working to limit disruptions for passengers, it advises flyers to check their flight status with their airline before arriving to the airport and to arrive at least two hours before their domestic flights.

American Airlines is the dominant provider of flights at CLT, accounting for 90% of its air traffic. The airline will notify impacted customers, and flexible rebooking options are available at aa.com and on its app, according to a travel advisory posted on its website.

This story was originally published November 11, 2025 at 5:35 AM.