--- title: "US Air Travel Disruptions Expected to Continue Until Monday" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/us-air-travel-disruptions-expected-to-continue-until-monday" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/us-air-travel-disruptions-expected-to-continue-until-monday" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/us-air-travel-disruptions-expected-to-continue-until-monday.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/us-air-travel-disruptions-expected-to-continue-until-monday" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-11-15T19:05:12.174Z" source_reported: "2026-11-15T18:45:19.804Z" updated: "2026-11-15T19:05:12.174Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 59 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-11-15T19:00:22.231761+00:00" --- # US Air Travel Disruptions Expected to Continue Until Monday *Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated a technical flaw caused the widespread flight cancellations.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. One outlet provided a full report, while 26 provided digests. Claims are attributed to named officials. - Craft 59 of 100, higher is better. The story is clearly written and holds together, but lacks quotes from affected parties or details on what happens next. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. The headline promises a return to normal by Monday, which is supported by the reporting. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - US air travel disruptions, triggered by a technical flaw in air traffic control communication cables, were expected to continue until Monday. - Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the issue was not a cyberattack and that a return to full normalcy would take time. - As of Sunday morning, 1,460 flights within, into, or out of the United States had been cancelled. - Former President Donald Trump blamed the outdated air traffic control system on his predecessor, Joe Biden. Widespread disruptions to air travel in the United States were anticipated to persist until Monday. The cause was identified as a technical flaw that occurred during an upgrade of air traffic control communication cables. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated on Sunday that while the airspace would see a return to normal operations on Sunday, full normalcy would likely take until Monday due to the need to reposition aircraft and crews. He also ruled out a cyberattack as the cause of the outage. ## Disagreement on the cause and blame While officials identified a technical flaw during an upgrade as the cause, former President Donald Trump assigned blame to his predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump stated that he inherited an outdated air traffic control system from the Biden administration and that Congress needed to approve funds for its upgrade. The Punch Newspapers report also noted that Democrats suggested Congress, under Trump's Republican party control, could have already funded such upgrades. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention the specific figure of 1,460 flights cancelled as of Sunday morning, which was reported by The Punch Newspapers. The digests also do not include the specific appeal by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for $50 billion in funds to upgrade the air traffic control system, as detailed in The Punch Newspapers report. ## Who covered it Shares of the 12 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 8% (1) - Centre: 42% (5) - Right: 50% (6) 15 of 27 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-11-15T19:00:22.231761+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 1 time; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-11-15T19:15:23.668Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated report from The Punch Newspapers led with the potential continuation of disruptions until Monday, quoting US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. It detailed the cause as faulty work on communication cables and included former President Donald Trump's statements blaming Joe Biden for an outdated system. The report also mentioned Duffy's rejection of resignation calls and his appeal for $50 billion to modernise the air traffic control system. It noted that Democrats suggested Congress could have already funded such upgrades. ### Centre - Centre-rated reports from El Diario, wz.de, France24, ANSA, and yle focused on the expected timeline for the return to normal air traffic, with most indicating it would be by Monday. El Diario noted that "routine" work on communication infrastructures linked to air control caused the breakdown. France24 and yle highlighted the scale of cancellations, with France24 stating over 18,000 flights were cancelled between Friday and Saturday, and yle reporting over 900 cancellations on Sunday. ANSA and yle quoted Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stating flights would return to full capacity by Monday. ### Right - Right-rated reports from Kurier, Reforma, NDTV, Die Presse, Anadolu Ajansı, and Daily Sabah highlighted that air traffic disruptions would likely continue until Monday. Kurier and Die Presse mentioned technical problems as the cause and ruled out a cyberattack. Anadolu Ajansı noted that Secretary Sean Duffy ruled out a cyberattack and urged Congress to fund a new telecommunications network, exposing 2001-era equipment. Daily Sabah reported that US authorities warned chaos could persist into Monday. NDTV also stated that hundreds more flights were cancelled and questions remained about how such chaos could unfold. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 4 - high: 7 - unknown: 15 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [El Diario](https://diario.mx/internacional/2026/nov/15/persisten-hasta-el-lunes-afectaciones-aereas-en-eu-1148870.html) — Air Damage in the United States Persists Until Monday - [Kurier](https://kurier.at/chronik/welt/usa-fluege-flugverkehr/403205857) — U.S. Air Traffic Probably only on Monday Again Completely Normal - [Punch Newspapers](https://punchng.com/us-flight-disruptions-may-continue-until-monday-trump-administration) — US flight disruptions may continue until Monday – Trump administration - [Reforma](https://reforma.com/persistiran-hasta-el-lunes-afectaciones-aereas-en-eu/ar3315143) — Air Damage in the United States Will Continue Until Monday - [mural.com.mx](https://mural.com.mx/persistiran-hasta-el-lunes-afectaciones-aereas-en-eu/ar3315145) — Air Damage in the United States Will Continue Until Monday - [elnorte.com](https://elnorte.com/y-persistiran-hasta-el-lunes-afectaciones-aereas-en-eu/ar3315144) — Air Damage in the United States Will Continue Until Monday - [bhaskarlive.in](https://bhaskarlive.in/international/us-flights-should-return-to-normal-monday-transportation-secretary-2165920) — US flights should return to normal Monday: Transportation Secretary - [Social News XYZ](https://socialnews.xyz/2026/11/15/us-flights-should-return-to-normal-monday-transportation-secretary) — US flights should return to normal Monday: Transportation Secretary - [Die Presse](https://diepresse.com/41456503/us-flugverkehr-normalisiert-sich-wohl-erst-wieder-am-montag) — U.S. Air Traffic Probably only Normalizes Again on Monday - [THE BEST](https://thebest.gr/article/852711-aerodromia-ton-ipa-i-katastasi-tha-echei-omalopoiithei-pliros-mechri-ti-deutera) — US Airports: “The Situation Will Be Fully Normalized by Monday” - [Akşam](https://aksam.com.tr/dunya/10-binden-fazla-ucus-rotar-yapmisti-abdde-hava-trafigi-ne-zaman-normale-donecek/haber-1714863) — Over 10,000 Flights Were Delayed! When Will Air Traffic Return to Normal in the US? - [Agenzia giornalistica Opinione](https://agenziagiornalisticaopinione.it/opinionmix/ladige-it-attualita-duffy-entro-lunedi-i-voli-torneranno-a-pieno-regime-negli-usa) — Duffy, 'by Monday, Flights Will Return to Full Capacity in the US' 'At the Moment There Are some Delays in Airspace' - [NDTV](https://ndtv.com/world-news/trump-administration-says-airline-disruptions-may-continue-for-another-day-12330963) — Trump Administration Says Airline Disruptions May Continue For Another Day - [suedtirolnews.it](https://suedtirolnews.it/chronik/us-flugverkehr-wohl-erst-am-montag-wieder-voellig-normal) — U.S. Air Traffic Probably only on Monday Again Completely Normal - [vienna.at](https://vienna.at/us-flugverkehr-wohl-erst-am-montag-wieder-voellig-normal/11198399) — US Air Traffic: Normalization Expected Only on Monday - [elipshaber.com](https://elipshaber.com/abdde-hava-trafiginin-normale-donmesi-beklenen-tarih-aciklandi) — The Expected Date for the Return to Normal Air Traffic in the US Has Been Announced. - [wz.de](https://wz.de/panorama/us-flugverkehr-wohl-erst-am-montag-wieder-vollstaendig-normal_aid-158395087) — U.S. Air Traffic Probably only on Monday Again Completely Normal - [France24](https://france24.com/fr/info-en-continu/20261115-pas-de-retour-%C3%A0-la-normale-avant-lundi-dans-le-ciel-am%C3%A9ricain) — No Return to Normal Before Monday in the American Sky - [VG](https://vg.no/nyheter/i/mMRPOE/flytrafikken-i-usa-ventes-tilbake-til-normalen-mandag) — Air Traffic in the US Is Expected to Return to Normal on Monday - [Nettavisen](https://nettavisen.no/nyheter/samferdselsminister-flytrafikken-i-usa-ventes-tilbake-til-normalen-mandag/s/80-95-251648) — – Air Traffic in the US Is Expected to Return to Normal on Monday - [ANSA](https://ansa.it/sito/notizie/topnews/2026/11/15/duffy-entro-lunedi-i-voli-torneranno-a-pieno-regime-negli-usa_7f0c2ca7-4282-4723-ac2c-d30edd0069c9.html) — Duffy, 'By Monday, Flights Will Return to Full Capacity in the US' - [Anadolu Ajansı](https://aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-transport-chief-expects-air-travel-to-normalize-by-monday-after-outage/4125904) — US Transport Chief Expects Air Travel to Normalize by Monday After Outage - [Naftemporiki](https://naftemporiki.gr/kosmos/2189361/ntafi-gia-aerometafores-stis-ipa-i-katastasi-tha-echei-omalopoiithei-pliros-mechri-ti-deytera) — Duffy on US Air Travel: Situation Will Be Fully Normalized by Monday - [Jovem Pan News](https://jovempan.com.br/mundo/eua-alertam-que-problemas-no-transporte-aereo-devem-prosseguir-ate-segunda-feira) — USA Warns that Problems in Air Transport Should Continue Until Monday - [yle](https://yle.fi/a/74-20257081) — US Transportation Secretary: Air Traffic Will Return to Normal on Monday - [Daily Sabah](https://dailysabah.com/world/americas/us-authorities-warn-air-travel-chaos-may-continue-for-another-day) — US authorities warn air travel chaos may continue for another day - [El Economista](https://eleconomista.com.mx/internacionales/caos-aereo-estados-unidos-19-500-vuelos-cancelados-afectaciones-seguirian-lunes-20261115-844098.html) — Airfalls in the United States: More than 19,500 Flights Cancelled and Affected Would Continue Until Monday ## Questions **What caused the US flight disruptions?** The disruptions were caused by a technical flaw during an upgrade of air traffic control communication cables. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that this was not a cyberattack. **When was air traffic expected to return to normal?** Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated that while airspace operations might return to normal on Sunday, full normalcy for flights, crews, and travellers was expected by Monday. **How many flights were cancelled?** As of Sunday morning, 1,460 flights within, into, or out of the United States had been cancelled, according to flightaware.com. **Who was blamed for the outdated air traffic control system?** Former President Donald Trump blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for the outdated air traffic control system, stating he inherited a "mess" from the Biden administration. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/us-air-travel-disruptions-expected-to-continue-until-monday. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "US Air Travel Disruptions Expected to Continue Until Monday", https://mediabias.news/politics/us-air-travel-disruptions-expected-to-continue-until-monday