Las Vegas Expected to Be Among 40 Airports Ordered to Reduce Flights

Posted on: November 6, 2025, 08:02h. 

Last updated on: November 6, 2025, 10:20h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • The Las Vegas airport will likely be ordered to reduce its number of daily flights
  • The FAA is cutting air traffic as more air traffic controllers refuse to work amid the government shutdown

The odds are good that Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International (LAS) will be among the 40 “high-volume” airports the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) orders to reduce traffic, as the federal government shutdown drags into a second month.

Las Vegas airport LAS FAA
Passengers at Harry Reid International Airport play slot machines while awaiting their departures out of Las Vegas. Travelers through LAS could soon have extra time to gamble, as Las Vegas is expected to see its flight traffic cut by the FAA during the federal government shutdown. (Image: Shutterstock)

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Wednesday that the FAA has recommended flight reductions to cope with a growing number of air traffic controller (ATC) shortages. Ground-based ATCs have been working without pay since Congress failed to pass a funding bill and the federal government shutdown on October 1.

The essential federal ATC employees will receive back pay once the shutdown is resolved. But with no end in sight, Republicans refusing to agree to extend Obamacare tax provisions, and Democrats unwilling to pass a short-term continuing resolution, many ATCs are refusing to come to work.

Nationwide Impacts 

The Las Vegas tourism sector has struggled in 2025. Visitor volume through September is 8.8% lower than the prior year, pushing casino hotel occupancy down 5.2% and nightly room rates down 2.9%.

On Friday, the FAA will confirm the 40 airports that will be instructed to reduce their flight traffic to ease ATC staffing problems. DC insiders who have seen a temporary list of airports relay that Las Vegas will be among the affected airports.

That isn’t a surprise, as LAS is certainly a “high-volume” airport. Harry Reid International was the nation’s eighth-busiest airport in the federal government’s 2024 fiscal year, with more than 28.24 million enplanements, or boarding passengers.

The FAA is expected to mandate that the 40 airports cut their number of flights by 10%. The airports will need to work with their airlines to meet the requirement.

The FAA directive will presumably impact nearly all airports nationwide. Flight delays will be expected as airlines readjust their schedules and airport slots, and employees are rerouted with new schedules.  

Along with Las Vegas, the country’s 10 busiest airports are included in the tentative list, including Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York’s JFK, Charlotte, Orlando, and Miami.

Other major cities where service will be cut include Boston, Detroit, Houston, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New Jersey’s Newark, New York’s LaGuardia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC.

Nevada’s second-busiest airport, Reno, isn’t on the presumed list. The FAA groups RNO as a “small count” airport, with the facility serving fewer than 2.4 million passengers in FY24.

Southwest Dominates Southern Nevada

Southwest brings more travelers in and out of Southern Nevada than any other airline. The low-cost carrier facilitated over 16.25 million arriving and departing passengers through LAS between January and September 2025.

Spirit is Southwest’s nearest competitor in Las Vegas, with four million 2025 passengers through September. Delta is third (3.96 million), American is fourth (3.34 million), and United is fifth (3.14 million).

Passenger traffic at Harry Reid is down in 2025. Through September, the airport has counted 4.7% fewer arriving and departing passengers.