scramble

WIZZ Air is pulling back at Britain’s second-busiest airport as it races to stem rising costs in a Europe-wide shake-up.

The Budapest-based budget carrier will slash flights from Gatwick after deciding it is losing money there, boss József Váradi said.

High operating fees and badly timed departure slots have made Gatwick a drag on performance.

Mr Váradi said: “Gatwick is expensive and we have been operating an inferior set of slots there.

“We think that we can enhance financial performance by operating that capacity from Luton.”

As part of the overhaul, Wizz will start by moving one aircraft from Gatwick to Luton, giving Luton 13 jets and cutting Gatwick’s fleet to seven.

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He added: “Circumstances change and you have to take action.

“Whichever bases give you the most profitability, you should be biased toward them.

“That includes moving aircraft over from Gatwick to Luton.”

Gatwick has been near capacity for years, keeping prices high and limiting space for rivals.

A £2.2billion plan to convert an emergency strip into a second runway is expected to double passenger numbers, but not until the 2030s.

Wizz insists it isn’t quitting Gatwick entirely.

Mr Váradi said the base will be “optimised”, adding: “You have to churn your network for profit. We are simply more efficient financially in Luton.”

He dismissed any link to Jet2’s plan to position seven aircraft at Gatwick from next year.

“Gatwick is stuck. It is so set with regard to slots that no newcomer can make any significant difference. Jet2 will be very sub-scale versus the established players,” he said.

The retreat comes as Wizz battles a series of financial shocks.

The airline has been hit hard by the Ukraine war, which has disrupted some of its biggest routes, and a global recall of faulty Pratt & Whitney engines that has grounded up to 45 planes at a time.

Mr Váradi has responded with aggressive cost-cutting.

The carrier shut its Abu Dhabi offshoot in July and is axing its Vienna base because of “airport costs and taxes”.

The shake-up in Austria has already triggered fresh disruption for UK passengers.

Earlier this month Wizz said it would cease operations to Vienna next year after a “strategic review”.

The decision will end two daily Gatwick–Vienna flights, which drop to one over winter, with all services stopping by March 2026.

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“We are ceasing operations in Vienna. After a strategic review, we are gradually closing our base in Vienna,” the airline said on X.

Routes to Bilbao and London Gatwick will be pulled on 26 October 2025, with all remaining Vienna flights stopping on 15 March 2026.

With the longest U.S. government shutdown over, state officials said Thursday that they are working quickly to get full SNAP food benefits to millions of people, though it could still take up to a week for some to receive their delayed aid.

A back-and-forth series of court rulings and shifting policies from President Trump’s administration has led to a patchwork distribution of November benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. While some states had already issued full SNAP benefits, about two-thirds of states had issued only partial benefits or none at all before the government shutdown ended late Wednesday, according to an Associated Press tally.

The federal food program serves about 42 million people, or about 1 in 8 Americans, in lower-income households. They receive an average of about $190 monthly per person, though that doesn’t necessarily cover the full cost of groceries for a regular month.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the program, said in an email Wednesday that funds could be available “upon the government reopening, within 24 hours for most states.” But the agency didn’t say whether that timeline indicates when the money will be available to states or when it could be loaded onto the electronic cards used by beneficiaries.

West Virginia, which hadn’t issued SNAP benefits, should have full November benefits for all recipients by Friday, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Thursday.

The Illinois Department of Human Services, which previously issued partial November benefits, said Thursday that it is “working to restore full SNAP benefits.” But it won’t happen instantly.

“We anticipate that the remaining benefit payments will be made over several days, starting tomorrow,” the department said in a statement, and that “all SNAP recipients will receive their full November benefits by November 20th.”

Colorado officials said late Wednesday that they are switching from delivering partial to full SNAP benefits, which could be loaded onto electronic cards starting as soon as Thursday.

Missouri’s Department of Social Services, which issued partial SNAP payments Tuesday, said Thursday that it is waiting for USDA guidance on how to issue the remaining November SNAP benefits but would move quickly once that guidance is received.

Paused SNAP payments stirred stress for some families

The delayed SNAP payments posed a new complication for Lee Harris’ family since his spouse was laid off a few months ago.

Harris, 34, said his North Little Rock, Ark., family got help from his temple and received food left by someone who was moving. With that assistance — and the knowledge that other families have greater needs — they skipped stopping by the food pantry they have sometimes used.

Harris’ family, including his three daughters, hasbeen able to keep meals fairly close to normal despite missing a SNAP payment this week. But they have still experienced stress and uncertainty.

“Not knowing a definite end,” Harris said, “I don’t know how much I need to stretch what I have in our pantry.”

Federal legislation funds SNAP for a year

The USDA told states Oct. 24 that it would not fund SNAP benefits for November amid the government shutdown. Many Democratic-led states sued to have the funding restored.

After judges ruled the Trump administration must tap into reserves to fund SNAP, the administration said it would fund up to 65% of its regular allocations. When a judge subsequently ordered full benefits, some states scrambled to quickly load SNAP benefits onto participants’ cards during a one-day window before the Supreme Court put that order on hold Friday.

Meanwhile, other states went forward with partial benefits, and still others issued nothing while waiting for further USDA guidance on the situation.

Amid the uncertainty over federal SNAP funding, some states tapped into their own funds to provide direct aid to SNAP recipients or additional money for nonprofit food banks.

The legislation to reopen the U.S. government provides full SNAP benefits not only for November but also for the remainder of the federal fiscal year, which runs through next September. Citing that legislation, the Justice Department on Thursday dropped its request for the Supreme Court to continue blocking a judicial order to pay full SNAP benefits.

Mulvihill and Lieb write for the Associated Press. AP writers John O’Connor in Springfield, Ill.; John Raby in Charleston, W.Va.; and Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this report.

MORE than 800 flights across the US have already been canceled as millions of travelers brace for even more chaos. 

Airlines have frantically cut routes after federal officials ordered 40 major airports to slash capacity. 

It comes as US vice president JD Vance warned the country faces an “aviation emergency.”

“The shutdown has now passed from farce into tragedy, and the consequences of this national emergency fall on every senator and congressman who refuses to open the government,” he railed.

The total number of canceled flights now stands at more than 800, according to FlightAware.

Dozens of flights originating out of Chicago airport, Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, Denver and Fort-Worth have been axed.

Forty flights departing Chicago have been axed, and 38 from Atlanta.

Southwest has canceled more than 120 flights, which is 3% of its total, while United has cut 2%.

At least 20 flights heading out of Los Angeles, Newark, and San Francisco have also been culled.

More than 1,200 flights are experiencing some form of delays.

Five percent of flights leaving JFK airport and Chicago are delayed.

Passengers arriving into Newark were met with three hour delays on Thursday night.

One airport worker told The New York Post the situation on Friday will be a nightmare.

“Tomorrow, the FAA will just shut down. Get out while you can,” they warned.

Federal officials have warned how the current shutdown is unprecedented.

“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” Bryan Bedford, the FAA administrator, said.

“Then again, we’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.

The current shutdown is the longest in US political history.

It surpassed the 2018-19 federal government closure, which Donald Trump also presided over, in terms of length.

FAA officials ordered a slew of airports to reduce capacity.

This is part of a bid to keep the skies safe while there is a shortage of air traffic control workers.

Air traffic controllers have gone without a full months pay because of the shutdown.

Airports on the FAA’s list include major hubs such as Los Angeles International, Orlando, New York’s JFK airport, and Miami.

San Francisco and Oakland airports are also on the list of hubs ordered to cut capacity by 10%.

Earlier this week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Americans that air travel would need to be reduced to prevent any casualties.

“We will restrict the airspace when we feel it’s not safe, if we don’t have enough controllers to effectively and safely manage our skies,” he said.

Airlines have responded to the FAA’s order.

Scott Kirby, the CEO of United, revealed schedules will be updated on a rolling basis.

The airline’s international flights are not impacted by the restrictions.

He revealed travelers can apply for a refund even if their flight isn’t delayed or canceled.

He expects the carrier to still offer around 4,000 flights a day despite the restrictions.

Southwest Airlines has said it will rebook impacted customers.

And, American will liaise with travelers about new flights if they are impacted.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers are working to end the shutdown.

Senate Democrats have voted 14 times not to reopen the government.

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But, Senate Republicans want to bring forward new funding bills that will see the government reopen.

One bill top GOP lawmaker John Thune is proposing would see programs funded until December or January.