Flight cancellations, delays ramp up in Tampa, nationwide amid shutdown

Katelyn Ferral, Tampa Bay Times on Nov 10, 2025

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Flight cancellations and delays in Tampa Bay and across the country ramped up over the weekend and are expected to increase again Tuesday as the federal shutdown enters its 41st day.

Dozens of flights were canceled or delayed at Tampa International Airport over the weekend, following an initial cut in flights on Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration. The reductions are aimed at promoting safety and relieving stress on air traffic controllers, who have now received no paychecks for two straight pay periods, despite many working mandatory overtime.

By Monday afternoon, there were 203 delays and 47 flight cancellations out of 556 total flights at Tampa International Airport, according to the airport’s flight tracker. About 55% of its flights were on time.

The cancellations at Tampa’s airport escalated over the weekend, with 21 on Friday, 36 on Saturday and 59 on Sunday, although airport spokesperson Beau Zimmer blamed more than half of Sunday’s cancellations on weather and mechanical issues, rather than the shutdown.

Nationwide, total flight cuts are set to increase throughout the week, to 6% by Tuesday, 8% by Thursday and 10% by Friday, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Federal transportation chief Sean Duffy said Friday that cuts of up to 20% are possible if the shutdown continues.

The reductions affect the nation’s 40 busiest airports and only apply to domestic flights. St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport has not yet been affected, according to Michele Routh, an airport spokesperson.

But airports in Orlando, Miami and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood are feeling the cuts. On Monday, Orlando was hit the hardest, with 103 cancellations from about 3 p.m. Sunday to 3 p.m. Monday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Miami had 96 cancellations and Ft. Lauderdale had 80 over the same period, according to the website as of Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Congress is closer to approving a new compromise spending plan that would end the shutdown and fund most federal agencies through Jan. 30. It would punt long-term federal spending decisions into 2026.

The bill, which was working through parliamentary hurdles on Monday, still needs to pass a final vote in the Senate, which is expected in the coming days.

The measure then must be approved by the House of Representatives before going to President Donald Trump’s desk. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday he would call members back to Washington to vote on the measure, giving them a formal 36-hour notice so that “we can vote as soon as possible,” he said.

Even if Trump signs a bill to end the shutdown this week, it will take time to rebuild flight capacity to pre-shutdown levels. Until then, challenges in the air space will persist, Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said Monday.

Air traffic controllers will continue to deal with the fallout, especially since there is already a shortage of them, Daniels said.

“This shutdown isn’t a light switch,” he said. “It’s not just ‘on,’ it’s not just ‘off.’”