The FAA on Monday canceled mandatory flight reductions at 40 major airports, allowing carriers to resume normal operations as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.
The agency’s emergency order, put into place on Nov. 7, was officially withdrawn at 6 a.m.
As of 10 a.m., only 42 flights into, out of, or within the U.S. had been canceled, according to tracking website Flight Aware. That is a huge drop compared to late last week, when over 1,000 flights were being canceled per day.
“Today’s decision to rescind the order reflects the steady decline in staffing concerns across the [National Airspace System] and allows us to return to normal operations,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement. “I am grateful for the hard work of the FAA safety and operations teams and for their focus on the safety of the traveling public.”
Staffing triggers – which signal air traffic controller levels below requirements – continued to decline over the weekend from a high of 81 on Nov. 8.
Industry Reaction
Major U.S. airlines said last week that they are well-positioned to restore their full schedules ahead of the Thanksgiving travel period.
In a statement to employees and customers, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said operational decisions made during the shutdown will allow the carrier to rebound quickly.
“Our goal throughout this has remained unchanged: take care of our customers and limit disruption to their travel plans as much as possible,” he said. “We’re ready for business and looking forward to serving customers with a full schedule especially in advance of the Thanksgiving and year-end holidays.”
On Saturday, before the FAA announced the cancellation of its air traffic reductions, Delta Chief Customer Experience Officer Erik Snell released a statement seeking to reassure travelers.
“While the government shutdown is behind us, we understand the uncertainty may have led you to rethink or reschedule your travel plans,” Snell said. “Rest assured, our operations are running normally, and Delta people remain dedicated to safely delivering the premium, reliable experiences you expect – the same qualities that carried us through even the most challenging times, including the longest government shutdown in history.”
Additionally, leaders of the industry trade group Airlines For American have suggested that it will only take about a week for cancellations and delays to drop back down to normal levels.
The FAA began cutting flight traffic during the federal government shutdown to ease the burden on air traffic controllers working without a paycheck. The cuts – which targeted major airports such as Chicago O’Hare, Denver, Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York-JFK, and many more – resulted in thousands of canceled flights per day, in addition to thousands of delays.
Reductions started at 4% and were temporarily frozen at 6% when the federal government reopened last week.
Notably, the FAA said Sunday that it is “aware of reports of non-compliance by carriers over the course of the emergency order.” Officials are reviewing those reports and “assessing enforcement options,” the agency said.
