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The outlook for air travel is improving as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) eased flight restrictions at the nation’s busiest airports following weeks of disruption tied to the recently ended government shutdown.
Yesterday, the FAA announced it would reduce mandatory flight cancellations from 6% to 3% at 40 major US airports beginning this morning. The cut is significant compared to the 10% reduction that would have remained in place had the shutdown continued. While travelers should still expect several hundred cancellations this weekend, the revised requirement marks meaningful progress toward restoring normal operations.
The FAA imposed mandatory schedule reductions during the final week of the shutdown to relieve pressure on air traffic control facilities strained by weeks of unpaid work. Absences increased, fatigue rose, and some facilities hit dozens of staffing triggers (a term that the FAA uses to denote that it’s understaffed). This forced airlines to slash flights to maintain safety margins. On the worst day last week, 81 staffing triggers were recorded nationwide. This contributed to mass delays and nearly 3,000 cancellations in a single day. I consider myself lucky. I had three flights each week for the past three weeks and not one was delayed or cancelled.
Conditions improved dramatically once the shutdown ended on Wednesday night. By Thursday, the FAA reported just four staffing triggers. This was an early sign that controllers returning to paid status were stabilizing the system. The agency said it would continue to monitor attendance and traffic levels this weekend to determine whether airlines can resume full schedules next week.
For passengers, the difference was already noticeable on Friday. FlightAware data showed cancellations holding steady between 2% and 3% at major airport hubs including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), and others on the list of 40. Delays were also significantly reduced.
Airlines anticipated the FAA’s move. By late afternoon Friday, they had canceled just 160 flights for Saturday. Most carriers continue offering flexible waivers during the restricted period and are expected to reinstate standard ticketing rules once the mandate is lifted entirely. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said restoring full schedules will depend on continued stability and safety within the system. Industry analysts note that even with improved staffing, airlines may still face lingering disruptions as they reposition crews and aircraft after more than a week of abnormal schedules.
With the Thanksgiving travel period just days away, airline executives remain optimistic that operations will return to normal in time for the holiday rush. Still, the shutdown underscored long-standing challenges within the air traffic controller workforce, including persistent staffing shortages, a growing wave of retirements, and rising attrition rates.
Anthony’s Take: You should always keep tabs on your flights, but for the first time in weeks it looks like there is a normal schedule coming and Thanksgiving should see families together without overwhelming delays and cancellations.
(Featured Image Credit: TSA.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
