United States – FAA & DOT Directive: Flight Reductions and Cargo Implications

As you may be aware, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) have directed U.S. airlines to reduce their flight schedules across 40 major U.S. airports, effective Friday 7 November.

These reductions are in response to staffing shortages among air-traffic controllers amid the ongoing US government shutdown.

Impact on Cargo Flights

According to airlines like United Airlines, the reductions should have little to no impact on their long-haul international and hub-to-hub cargo operations, with the schedule cuts primarily targeting regional and domestic flights that do not interface with the airline’s premium cargo networks.

U.S. Gateway Implications (Oceania Trade Considerations)

Given that many Oceania-bound or arriving shipments utilise U.S. gateways (e.g., LAX, SFO, ORD, IAH, ATL), you should be aware of the following risks:

• Cargo connections through major U.S. airports may experience delays or cancellations due to the FAA-mandated flight reductions.

• Statistics show that some 4 % flight reductions commenced on 7 November, with plans to increase to ~10 % by around 14 November.

• At airports like George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Houston) and others, 50+ flight cancellations and hundreds of delays have already been reported within the initial few days of reduction. 

• Although international cargo services have been described as largely unaffected, shippers and forwarders using U.S. trans-Pacific gateways should factor in potential connector delays, spot space constraints, and changed transit times.

What You Should Do

• If your shipment uses or will arrive via a U.S. gateway, please review your routing and transit time assumptions.

• Coordinate with your freight forwarder and carrier to confirm whether any flight schedule changes may affect your cargo.

• Be prepared to adjust for possible breakout of transit delays, particularly for time-sensitive shipments.

• We will continue to monitor the situation and communicate any confirmed impact on your shipments as soon as we become aware.

We appreciate your understanding and patience during this evolving situation.

Should you have any questions or require assistance with routing, transit disruptions or alternative logistics planning, don't hesitate to get in touch with your KLN representative or Customer Service Team.