Dear United Flyer

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) recently directed every airline to reduce their schedules across 40 U.S. airports during the government shutdown.

The FAA's goal is to relieve pressure on the aviation system so that every airline can continue to operate safely. That is the FAA's highest priority, and ours as well. No matter what environment we're operating in, United Airlines will not compromise on safety.

Our flight reductions will start on Friday, November 7, and we'll make rolling updates to our schedule as the government shutdown continues. United's long-haul international flying will not be affected, nor will service between our hub airports: Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark Liberty International, San Francisco and Washington Dulles.

If your flight is canceled, we'll work to give you as much notice as possible, so you don't show up at the airport expecting to fly. But the best way to stay up to date is through our award-winning United app, which gives you real-time updates, rebooking options and more.

Importantly, if you're traveling during this period and do not wish to fly, you're eligible for a refund — even if your flight isn't impacted. That includes non-refundable tickets and basic economy tickets.

Even with these schedule reductions, we expect to offer about 4,000 flights per day. And because of the early November timing, our flights have more available seats than before the summer, giving us (and you) more rebooking options.

Thank you in advance for your patience. We've got the best team in the industry looking after your trip and we'll continue to be open, direct and transparent with you throughout your journey.

Sincerely,




Scott Kirby

An Update on the Government Shutdown from Scott Kirby to United Employees
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CHICAGO, Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --

United team:

Earlier today, the FAA and DOT directed every airline to reduce their schedules during the government shutdown, across 40 domestic airports.

The FAA's goal is to relieve pressure on the aviation system so that we can all continue to operate safely. That is the FAA's highest priority, and ours as well. No matter what environment we're operating in, we will not compromise on safety.

These reductions will start on Friday, November 7, and we will continue to make rolling updates to our schedule as the government shutdown continues so we can give our customers several days' advance notice and to minimize disruption for them and for all of you.

United's long-haul international flying and our hub-to-hub flying will not be impacted by this schedule reduction direction from the FAA. That's important to maintain the integrity of our network, give impacted customers as many options as possible to resume their trip, and sustain our crew pairing systems.

Instead, we will focus our schedule reductions on regional flying and domestic mainline flights that do not travel between our hubs.

We'll use our app, website and push notifications to communicate to customers directly if their flight changes, and to offer rebooking options. We want to provide them with as much information as we can and in a way that's simple and easy to understand.

And importantly, any customer traveling during this period is eligible for a refund if they do not wish to fly – even if their flight isn't impacted. That includes non-refundable tickets and those customers with basic economy tickets.

Even with these schedule reductions, United and its United Express partners will still offer about 4,000 flights per day to fly our customers to their destinations. And because of the early November timing, our flights have more seats available than before the summer, meaning we should be able to find seats for many customers even if their flight is canceled.

Finally, thank you for going above and beyond during this government shutdown to take care of our customers and one another. Your professionalism and care will be more important than ever in the days ahead.

Scott