FAA flight cuts, weather are making a mess of things at the Atlanta airport

The 40-day government shutdown is causing massive disruptions at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest airport, with hundreds of flight cancellations over the weekend.

Stormy weather on Saturday in Atlanta also didn’t help.

Flight cuts required by government regulators to address the strain on air traffic controllers working without pay already disrupted trips for thousands of travelers to and from Atlanta starting Friday.

But that was exacerbated by air traffic control staffing shortages and thunderstorms that are causing hundreds more last-minute flight cancellations over the weekend.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines canceled more than 380 flights Saturday and more than 280 flights Sunday across the country.

On Saturday, nearly 30 flights to Atlanta were diverted to other airports, according to Delta.

Air traffic control “required slowing of aircraft through the National Airspace System, which has resulted in delays and additional cancellations of Delta flights,” Delta said in a written statement.

Delta said its Saturday flight cancellations caused airplanes to be out of position, while flight crews had to work extra hours that trigger required crew rest time. That, in turn, disrupted more flights scheduled for Sunday.

At Hartsfield-Jackson alone, there were about 370 flights canceled Saturday on Delta and other airlines, according to flightaware.com.

On Sunday, there were more than 250 Atlanta flights canceled by early morning.

Delta said travelers should check their flight status before heading to the airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced late last week it was requiring airlines to cut flights by 4%, with flight cancellations increasing to 6% Tuesday, 8% Thursday 10% by Friday.

But that only accounts for a portion of the weekend cancellations.

Other major airports around the country — including New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Newark and Orlando — were also hit with delays and disruptions caused by air traffic controller staffing shortages over the weekend.

Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport domestic terminal on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. It was the first day of the Federal Aviation Administration cutting flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

At Hartsfield-Jackson, the staffing shortages began causing severe ground delays at around 2 p.m. Saturday, according to an alert from the FAA on the status of the national airspace system. A ground delay started causing delays averaging 2 hours and 40 minutes for flights arriving in Atlanta.

Then, a ground stop because of thunderstorms disrupted more air traffic, halting flights on the ground that were due to take off for Atlanta.