The FAA is freezing its mandated flight reductions at 6% as airports and airlines assess the next steps after the federal government shutdown ended late Wednesday.
On Wednesday night, President Donald Trump signed into law the legislation passed by the House hours earlier, ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. It’s expected to take some time for many impacted government functions and air travel to return to normal.
On Wednesday, the Department of Transportation announced that it will freeze flight reductions at 6% thanks to strong staffing levels and a “rapid decline” in air traffic controller callouts. Since last week, the Federal Aviation Administration has required airlines to reduce their flight loads to relieve pressure on short-staffed air traffic controllers during the shutdown. On Tuesday, airlines were asked to cut flight loads by 6%. On Friday, airlines were expected to increase those cuts to 10%, but the FAA has since decided not to require that increase.
According to NBC News, the Department of Transportation said the new order will remain in place “as the FAA continues to assess whether the system can gradually return to normal operations.”
It all comes after the flight reductions and staffing challenges at airports across the country led to thousands of flight cancellations and delays over the past week.
Henry Harteveldt, a San Francisco-based airline analyst with Atmosphere Research Group, estimated, “It will probably take a week to 10 days for air travel to return to normal.”
He said how quickly flight schedules stabilize will depend on how quickly air traffic controllers are able to return to work. Harteveldt also expects that once the FAA drops its 6% flight reduction mandate, it will likely take airlines three to five days to get back to more normal flight schedules.
Many airlines have already made and planned out cancellations for this week as directed by the FAA. United, for example, which is the largest carrier at San Francisco International Airport, has listed out on its website all of its cancelled flights through Friday, Nov. 14.
Airline passengers are advised to download their airline’s app and keep watch for any notifications about changes to their flight schedule. Many airlines are also offering refunds for passengers who choose not to travel during this time.
Source: NBC Bay Area
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