MONTREAL — As the U.S. government shutdown leads to thousands of cancelled flights, some Canadian travellers might be caught up in the stateside travel chaos. But there’s a chance that even those who bought travel insurance might be left holding the bag.

Aviation analytics firm Cirium says more than 8,000 departures south of the border have been cancelled since Friday, with the proportion of scrapped flights hovering around 10 per cent on Sunday and Monday.

Hundreds of thousands of Canadians fly to and from the U.S. each month. Travel insurer Marty Firestone says those who purchased cancellation insurance before the government shutdown was announced as a travel advisory should be eligible for compensation.

But he says travellers who held off or bought a policy more recently may be out of luck for meal, hotel and transport coverage — though the airline still owes them a refund for the cancelled trip.

American flight controller shortages stemming from the federal shutdown prompted U.S. regulators to order air traffic reductions starting last Friday, with wintry weather in parts of the continent exacerbating the staffing disruptions early this week.

The U.S. Senate passed legislation Monday to reopen the government, but the bill still needs to clear the legislature’s lower house and final passage could be days away — with further flight disruptions possible through the rest of the month.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2025.

— With files from The Associated Press

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press