FlyingWith Weekly Brief
FlyingWith Weekly Brief, November 9, 2026 | US Flight Cuts at 40 Airports, Spain Strike Minimums and a First Bag at $50
Published · Coverage: Monday, November 3 – Monday, November 9, 2026
Only stories that change a traveller's next decision. Every fact is date-stamped. Where a figure comes from press reporting rather than the source's own published schedule, it is labelled as reported.
This week the disruption has a schedule. In the United States, the flight cuts ordered for 40 big airports get deeper on set dates between now and November 14. In Spain, the government has now put numbers on how few flights must run on strike day, November 11. And two price and calendar warnings land for later this month: a first checked bag on JetBlue now starts at US$50, and Italy has stacked a general strike, a rail strike and air traffic walkouts into one weekend, November 20 to 22. Here are the five stories that change what you should check, book or pack this week.
1 / 5
Flying inside the US this week? Ordered flight cuts at 40 airports deepen to 10% by November 14
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to cut domestic flights at 40 of the busiest US airports, starting at 4% on Friday, November 7 and rising in steps to 6% by November 11, 8% by November 13 and 10% by November 14 if the federal government shutdown continues.
- The emergency order, announced on Wednesday, November 5 by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, covers domestic flights between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. International flights are exempt. Airlines choose which flights to cancel, and a carrier that flies above its limit faces a fine of $75,000 per flight.
- Day one was already heavy: FlightAware counted more than 1,000 cancellations and more than 4,300 delays across the United States on Friday. SkyWest cancelled 178 flights, the most of any carrier, Delta about 170, and American planned to cut about 220 a day through Monday. At the full 10% level, aviation analytics firm Cirium estimates about 1,800 flights and 268,000 seats would be cut each day.
- The cause is staffing. About 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 airport security screeners have worked without pay since the shutdown began on October 1, the FAA was already about 3,500 controllers short of its target before the shutdown, and Friday was the shutdown's 38th day, the longest in US history. As of Sunday, November 8, there was still no agreement in Congress to end it.
- The 40 airports include Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, plus airports serving New York, Chicago, Washington, Houston, Miami, San Francisco and Orlando. United, Delta, American and JetBlue have introduced flexible rebooking and refund options, and United is offering refunds to any passenger who chooses not to travel, even on routes not directly affected. If your airline cancels your flight, it must refund you; it is not required to cover food or hotel costs unless the disruption is within its control.
What it means for your trip
Treat any US domestic booking between now and November 14 as provisional: check it daily, avoid tight connections through the 40 hubs, and if the trip matters, hold a flexible fare. FlyingWith's flight delay and compensation guide explains your refund rights when an airline cancels your flight.
Verify at
Your flight's status on your airline's website or app, and the FAA's announcements, checked daily between now and November 14.
Source
NationWire — FAA Orders Flight Cuts at 40 Airports in Shutdown (published November 6, 2026); Red Bear Blog — FAA Flight Cuts November 2026: 1,000+ Flights Axed (published November 8, 2026).
2 / 5
Spain, November 11: the government will protect only 32% of short domestic flights at Madrid, and Iberia is letting people move
Spain's Transport Ministry signed the minimum-services order for the 24-hour general strike on Wednesday, November 11 on November 6: at Madrid-Barajas, airlines must keep 78% of island and protected-route flights, 57% of international and long domestic flights, and just 32% of short mainland domestic flights.
- The order sets a minimum share for each airline on each route, airport by airport, and it is a floor, not a cancellation list: airlines can still cancel more, depending on how many staff walk out. At Barcelona-El Prat the figures are 79%, 56% and 34%. Across all listed airports, the short domestic band runs from 18% at Logroño to 37% at Pamplona, and the ministry counts more than 4,600 takeoffs and landings scheduled that day, with close to 780,000 seats and more than 663,000 passengers potentially affected.
- The strike runs from 00:00 to 23:59 on November 11 and was called by the CCOO and UGT unions, with CGT and other unions joining. Short mainland flights are the most exposed; island and international flights are better protected, but the flights that do run will absorb passengers from cancelled ones, and November 10 and 12 flights are expected to fill with rebooked passengers.
- As of November 8, the claims site Reclamea reported that Iberia, Iberia Express and Air Nostrum were letting passengers change their travel date up to November 26 or take a refund (a voucher or the original form of payment), including on cancelled flights; no airline had published its own cancellation list by November 8, and Vueling, Air Europa and Ryanair had not published a strike notice. Check your own booking rather than relying on the report.
- If your flight is cancelled, EU rules still require the airline to offer a refund or a new flight and care while you wait, such as meals and a hotel. Whether extra cash compensation is owed depends on who actually walked out.
What it means for your trip
If you are booked on a short mainland flight inside Spain on November 11, move it now if you can: two out of three of those flights are allowed to be cancelled under the minimums. FlyingWith's flight delay and compensation guide sets out your rebooking, refund and care rights when a strike cancels a flight.
Verify at
Your booking on your airline's website, and the Transport Ministry's minimum-services order for November 11.
Source
AeroCorner — Spain Nov 11 Strike: Flight Minimums by Airport (published November 7, 2026); NonRev Travel News — Iberia, Iberia Express and Air Nostrum Offer Free Date Changes as Spain's Nov. 11 General Strike Threatens Domestic Flights (published November 8, 2026).
3 / 5
JetBlue's first checked bag now starts at US$50, and US$70 if you pay late at peak time
JetBlue raised its checked bag fees on Tuesday, November 3, for the second time this year: a first checked bag on flights within the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean now starts at US$50 each way, up from US$39.
- The new fees apply to tickets bought on or after November 3. Tickets bought before that date, including existing Thanksgiving and Christmas bookings, keep the previous fees. The distinction is the booking date, not the departure date.
- Price depends on when you pay and when you fly. Prepaid more than 24 hours before departure, the first bag is US$50 off-peak and US$55 at peak; paid within 24 hours, it is US$60 off-peak and US$70 at peak. A second bag is US$70 off-peak or US$75 at peak prepaid, rising to US$75 and US$85 if bought late, and a third bag is US$200 on any date. One bag on a peak round trip is US$110 prepaid, or US$140 if paid at the airport. On transatlantic flights, the first bag on the cheapest economy fares now starts at US$80, with late purchases reaching US$100.
- The first-bag minimum has risen from US$35 in May 2024 to US$39 in March 2026 and now US$50, an increase of about 43% in roughly two and a half years. JetBlue says the change helps offset rising fuel and operating costs. Free-bag benefits are unchanged: Mint fares include bags, TrueBlue Mosaic members get one or two free bags, and eligible JetBlue Plus, Business and Premier cardholders get a free first bag for themselves and up to three companions when the card is used to book.
- Context worth watching: after JetBlue's March increase, other major US airlines followed with their own bag fee rises within weeks. No rival had matched this increase in the reports opened for this edition.
What it means for your trip
Before you book a JetBlue flight for the holidays, price the bag, not just the fare, and pay for it more than 24 hours before departure if you need one. If your bag fits cabin limits, travelling cabin-bag-only now saves at least US$100 on a round trip: check its size in FlyingWith's baggage checker.
Verify at
The checked-bag fees shown for your own booking on jetblue.com: the price depends on your ticket's purchase date and on when you pay for the bag.
Source
Simple Flying — JetBlue Hikes Checked Bag Fees Again To $50, A 43% Increase In Just 2 Years (published November 3, 2026).
4 / 5
Italy, November 20 to 22: a general strike, a rail strike and air traffic walkouts land on one weekend
Italy's official strike calendar, read on November 7, stacks three days of disruption back to back: a CGIL national general strike on Friday, November 20, a national rail strike from 21:00 that night to 20:00 on Saturday, November 21, and airport walkouts on Sunday, November 22 led by a 24-hour air traffic strike at Milan Malpensa.
- The weekend starts early for rail travellers: FS Group (Trenitalia) train drivers and on-board staff joined the November 20 to 21 rail strike on November 6, on top of the CUB Trasporti and SGB call covering every train in Italy, with local transport strikes in Turin, Naples and other cities on the 21st. Separately, today, Monday, November 9, Italo high-speed trains are hit by a national strike from 09:01 to 16:59 (Trenitalia is not included), per the same calendar reading.
- Saturday, November 21 is the disputed day in the air: the November 7 calendar reading lists a nationwide ENAV air traffic stoppage from 13:00 to 17:00, but an earlier reading of the official register on November 1 no longer showed it and one tracker marks it as revoked. Treat it as unconfirmed and check again closer to the date; a strike's status should be settled about five days before, around November 16.
- Sunday, November 22 is firmer: air traffic staff at Milan Malpensa are listed in the Transport Ministry register for a 24-hour strike from 00:01 to midnight, security staff at Venice Marco Polo walk out for 24 hours the same day, and Pisa and Florence airport staff are also listed for an all-day strike. During Italian air strikes, departures between 07:00 and 10:00 and between 18:00 and 21:00 are guaranteed, and the aviation authority ENAC publishes a list of guaranteed flights; outside those bands, expect delays and some cancellations rather than a closed airport.
- If an air traffic strike cancels your flight, you are owed a refund or a new flight plus care while you wait, but extra cash compensation is not usually due for a strike outside the airline's control.
What it means for your trip
If you are flying to, from or within Italy on November 20 to 22 and you can still choose your flights, pick departures inside the protected bands (07:00 to 10:00 or 18:00 to 21:00) and keep the booking flexible. FlyingWith's flight delay and compensation guide explains what a strike cancellation does and does not entitle you to.
Verify at
The Italian Transport Ministry's official strike calendar, re-checked around November 16 for the November 21 air traffic stoppage's final status.
Source
TransferBnB — Strikes in Italy and France, Winter 2026/27: Dates and Airport Plan (last updated November 7, 2026); TravelTourister — Italy ATC Strike: Malpensa 24-Hour Walkout Nov 22 (published November 3, 2026).
5 / 5
Storm Bruna cancelled 37 flights at Madeira on Saturday, and the island's weather warnings ran into Sunday
Depression Bruna hit Madeira on Saturday, November 7, and by the afternoon 37 flights at Madeira International Airport had been cancelled: 20 arrivals and 17 departures, according to ANA Aeroportos data reported by the island newspaper DNOTICIAS.
- The airlines named in the cancellations were TAP, easyJet, Transavia, British Airways, Ryanair, Jet2 and Enter Air, on routes to and from Porto, Lisbon, London (Gatwick and Luton), Manchester, Marseille, Paris (Orly), Lyon, Basel, Poznan and Bristol. A TAP flight from Lisbon due at 09:15 on Saturday could not land and returned to Lisbon, and three other aircraft were left holding near the airport.
- Portugal's weather service IPMA issued orange warnings for all of Madeira from 18:00 on Saturday for heavy rain and thunderstorms and wind gusts of up to 100 km/h, and up to 130 km/h in the mountains, with yellow wind warnings continuing on Sunday, November 8 from 09:00 to 21:00. ANA Aeroportos warned that the adverse conditions could affect departures and arrivals in the following days. The count of 37 was the Saturday afternoon figure, not a final total, and the reports from the morning and afternoon overlap, so they should not be added together.
- Weather cancellations still carry rights: you can choose a refund or a new flight, and meals, a hotel and transport can be due while you wait. Fixed cash compensation is unlikely, because bad weather is normally an extraordinary circumstance, although the airline still has to show the weather caused your cancellation.
What it means for your trip
Madeira's airport is weather-exposed even outside storm season, so on any Madeira trip keep a buffer day before anything you cannot miss and keep essentials in your cabin bag. FlyingWith's flight delay and compensation guide covers what to ask for when weather strands you.
Verify at
Your flight's status on your airline's website and ANA Aeroportos' notices for Madeira Airport before you leave home.
Source
Airlate — Madeira Airport flights cancelled by Bruna: your rights (facts checked November 7, 2026).
Corrections
If an edition gets something wrong, we correct the edition in place and note the correction on the page — we do not silently rewrite history. Spotted an error? Write to info@flyingwith.com and we will check it against the primary source.