Illinois, Here’s How To Know If Your Flight Will Be Canceled Due To The Government Shutdown

Nothing says 'happy holidays' quite like travel disasters.

We're about 2 weeks away from Thanksgiving and we're over a month into the government shutdown at this point. The ongoing issues during the shutdown have included TSA agents and air traffic controllers being forced to work long hours without pay and it's finally led to massive delays and cancellations.

The FAA increased the number of flights by 4% in an attempt to combat this and major airlines (United, Delta, American, Southwest) are offering flexible travel options, including full refunds without penalty. And the refunds are mostly available to both travelers whose flights were canceled and travelers who just cancel their flight to avoid the chaos.

What To Do

Travel experts recommend a few precautions you can take before flying during the shutdown:

• Download your airline's app before going to the airport (to keep up with your boarding time)
• Download the MyTSA app to see wait times
• Get to the airport as early as you can (experts are saying anywhere from 30-60 minutes earlier than you already would)
• Have a Plan B if your flight does get canceled (train? rent a car?)

How To Know If Your Flight Is Likely Canceled

40 of the country's busiest airports (including O'Hare) are greatly impacted by flight cancellations.

United, Delta, and American all say they're not trying to at all impact long-haul and international flights. But domestic flights could be a different story.

One big hack: Look at your flight's seat map. If the plane is full, your flight is probably safe.