The Department of Transportation late Wednesday froze flight cuts it imposed less than a week ago as air travel disruptions eased across the U.S.

The department implemented the freeze before the House approved a funding bill that would keep the government open through January. President Donald Trump would sign the bill on Wednesday, the White House said.

On Wednesday, 816 U.S. departures were canceled, 3.5% of airlines’ schedule, the lowest rate and number of cancellations since last Thursday, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

The shutdown again put air travel in the spotlight and heightened strains on air traffic controllers, who have been required to work without receiving their regularly scheduled paychecks. The DOT said Wednesday night in a statement that there was a “rapid decline” in callouts from controllers in the last two days.

Trump administration officials on Friday started requiring airlines to trim their schedules, citing safety risks and additional strain on controllers. The required cancellations rose from 4% of domestic flights at U.S. airports to 6% on Tuesday, blaming increased strain on air traffic controllers. They would have increased to 10% by Friday, but DOT froze the increases on Wednesday night.

But the cuts weren’t enough to avoid further disruptions that were worsened by widespread staffing shortages and bad weather, leading to an influx of cancellations and delays last weekend.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said Wednesday on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” that the shutdown will have a financial impact on the carrier but it wouldn’t come close to wiping out the airline’s profits. He warned that he thinks there will be another shutdown at some point and said air traffic controllers should be paid if that happens.

U.S. airline shares were up broadly on Wednesday before the House vote.

Thin air traffic controller staffing has been on the rise during the shutdown that started Oct. 1, leading to thousands of flights being slowed or altogether canceled and disrupting travel plans of 5 million passengers, according to Airlines for America, an industry group that represents the largest U.S. carriers. Some air traffic controllers were forced to take second jobs to make ends meet, the controllers’ union and government officials have said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and major airlines this week warned that air travel won’t immediately snap back to normal even after the shutdown.

“We’re going to wait to see the data on our end before we take out the restrictions in travel but it depends on controllers coming back to work,” Duffy said at a news conference at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Tuesday.

Flight disruptions that have marred air travel for millions of people in recent weeks could continue even after the government shutdown ends, airlines and the secretary of Transportation said.

The Senate on Monday night passed a bill that could end the longest federal government shutdown in history, sending it to the House for a vote.

But Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday that won’t be an immediate fix.

“We’re going to wait to see the data on our end before we take out the restrictions in travel but it depends on controllers coming back to work,” Duffy said at a press conference at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

Duffy also warned severe disruptions over the past few days could get much worse without a deal.

The Senate vote came as staffing shortages of air traffic controllers, who are required to work without their regular paychecks in the shutdown, have delayed or canceled thousands of flights, with issues worsening in recent days. Controllers missed their second full paychecks of the shutdown this week, and some have taken up second jobs and are working with increasing levels of stress, government and union officials have said.

Even if the House passes the bill that will fund the federal government through January, airlines said they will need time to readjust.

“Airlines’ reduced flight schedules cannot immediately bounce back to full capacity right after the government reopens,” Airlines for America, a lobbying group for airlines including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, said late Monday. “It will take time, and there will be residual effects for days. With the Thanksgiving travel period beginning next week and the busy shipping season around the corner, the time to act is now to help mitigate any further impacts to Americans.”

Airlines will need time to reconfigure schedules and position planes and crews, something they were forced to quickly address with last week’s required flight cuts.

More than 5 million travelers have been affected by airline staffing issues since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, Airlines for America said . The disruptions have sent some passengers looking for alternatives, from buses to rental cars and even private jets.

Last Friday, the Trump administration started requiring commercial airlines to cut 4% of their domestic flights at 40 busy U.S. airports, with larger reductions on the way if the shutdown doesn’t end, as officials blamed the strain on air traffic controllers.

Aviation groups have said that record numbers of travelers are expected for the Thanksgiving period, with the holiday just over two weeks away.

Just over 5% of the scheduled 22,811 U.S. departures were canceled on Tuesday, a relatively light day for travel generally, according to aviation data firm…

Flight cancellations were again piling up on Monday as air traffic controller shortages, worsened by the longest-ever U.S. government shutdown, snarled air travel coast to coast while President Donald Trump threatened to dock air traffic controllers’ pay if they are absent from work.

On Monday, 1,623 of the 25,735 scheduled U.S. flights were canceled, around 6.3% of the day’s schedule, though on-time departures were better than average, a good sign after days of travel snarls, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

Last week, the Trump administration ordered airlines to cut domestic flights at 40 major U.S. airports starting with 4% reductions last Friday and ramping up to 10% by this coming Friday, Nov. 14, citing strains on air traffic controllers.

“All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!!,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding that he would recommend $10,000 bonuses for any air traffic controllers who didn’t take any time off during the shutdown. He said those who don’t immediately return to work would be “docked.”

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association in response said that air traffic controllers are “unsung heroes, who report for duty to safely guide this country’s passengers and cargo to their destinations.” The organization said they “deserve our praise” and “have certainly earned it.” 

Disruptions over the weekend included 18,576 delayed flights while 4,519 were canceled, according to FlightAware. Cancellations spilled over from regional, short-haul jets — which the largest U.S. airlines rely on for around half of domestic flights — to mainline flying.

United Airlines and Delta Air Lines were each offering flight attendants extra pay to pick up flights, according to company messages seen by CNBC. United was also offering pilots extra pay for more flights than it usually does, an airline spokesman said. Such extra pay is common during storms or other disruptions.

American Airlines Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said Monday that 250,000 of its customers were affected by disruptions over the weekend, with 1,400 cancellations attributed to air traffic control.

“This is simply unacceptable, and everyone deserves better. Our air traffic controllers deserve to be paid and our airline needs to be able to operate at a level of predictability and dependability that no major airline was able to provide the flying public this weekend,” he said in a note to staff that was seen by CNBC.

Airlines were waiving change fees and in some cases, fare differences, depending on when customers could rebook travel. Customers could also request a full refund for the portion of their tickets they were unable to fly.

A sign of how severe air travel disruptions have become during the…

U.S. airlines started canceling hundreds of flights on Friday, hours after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered the cuts amid the more-than-monthlong government shutdown.

The reductions were ordered as air traffic controllers have missed their paychecks due to the government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history. Air traffic control staffing shortages have been disrupting flights at several major U.S. airports, vexing travelers and airline executives alike.

Air traffic controller shortages were delaying flights at several major U.S. airports on Friday, including Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, San Francisco International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.

The sudden flight cuts this week forced airlines to scramble with schedule adjustments and making sure crews are where they need to be despite the last-minute changes.

Roughly 780 U.S. flights were canceled as of 2 p.m. ET Friday, according to aviation data firm Cirium, about 3% of the total schedule for the day. That scale of disruption is fairly common for routine disruptions like major thunderstorms, but the Department of Transportation warned that cancellations could ramp up.

According to the FAA’s order, the flight cuts will increase to 10% over the next week, beginning with 4% on Friday, 6% by Tuesday, 8% by Thursday and finally 10% on Nov. 14.

Friday’s cancellation levels were the 72nd worst for the U.S. flights market since Jan. 1, 2024, according to Cirium. That period also included a Southwest Airlines Christmas meltdown after severe weather and mass delays at Delta Air Lines last summer in the wake of a CrowdStrike tech outage.

While the FAA required airlines to make cuts, the general aviation sector, which includes private jets, was not required to make similarly broad cuts. The order, however, said that staffing shortages could affect general aviation and that those private flights could face up to 10% cuts at airports that the agency designated “high-impact,” including New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport and Texas’ William P. Hobby Airport in Houston and Dallas Love Field.

The FAA didn’t respond to requests for comment.

A spokesman for the National Business Aviation Association said the industry is also affected by air traffic staffing shortages and reduced capacity, and that airports could deny some airplanes the ability to land there.

NBAA’s president and CEO Ed Bolen said that “our sector will continue to pursue mandatory and voluntary means to ensure we are part of the solution to the challenges posed in the current environment.”

The financial impact of the latest disruptions isn’t immediately clear. The cancellations could help lift airlines’ unit revenue with customers competing for fewer seats, “but we also believe the prolonged shutdown and widespread cancelations…