As the United States recovers from the shutdown, the FAA on Friday scaled back its earlier order for airlines to trim schedules at 40 airports, lowering mandatory cancellations from 6 per cent to 3 per cent amid improving air traffic controller staffing. In a statement, the FAA said that the airlines will only have to cancel three per cent of the flights from Saturday, November 15, itself.
The FAA initially ordered flight reductions at busy airports on November 7, citing safety concerns as rising absences hit air traffic facilities and control towers. Controllers were among the federal employees who were required to work while going unpaid during the shutdown.
The rollback comes amid improved staffing levels after the 43-day shutdown ended Wednesday night, the FAA and Department of Transportation said, adding that they will continue to monitor the situation throughout the weekend and evaluate when normal operations can resume.
Cancellations spiked last Sunday to nearly 3,000 flights – about 10 per cent of the day’s schedule – as the FAA’s order, ongoing controller shortages and bad weather converged. But the situation improved through the week, with more controllers returning amid signs of a possible shutdown deal in Congress, leading the FAA to hold off on further cutback plans
Before the FAA released its updated guidance Friday, airlines already seemed to be anticipating a change. After the order, the FlightAware mentioned just 159 cancellations for Saturday. And United Airlines, which had been posting several days’ worth of cancellations online in advance over the past week, didn’t list any cancellations after Friday.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has repeatedly said safety metrics must improve before the order is lifted entirely.
The unprecedented order started with 4% cuts that later grew to 6%, leading to the cancellation of more than 11,800 flights between Nov. 7 and Friday. The FAA originally had a 10% target.
Duffy hasn’t shared the specific safety data that prompted the cuts, but he cited reports during the shutdown of planes getting too close in the air, more runway incursions and pilot concerns about controllers’ responses.
How long it will take for the aviation system to stabilize is unclear. The flight restrictions upended airline operations in just a matter of days. Many planes were rerouted and aren’t where they’re supposed to be. Airlines for America, the trade group of U.S. airlines, warned there could be residual effects for days.
Some experts predicted the problems could linger longer. But airline executives were optimistic that flying could quickly rebound ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel week once the FAA order to cut flights is lifted.
In an appearance on “CBS Mornings” after the shutdown ended, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian predicted a return to normalcy “a lot faster than people think.”
“And normal for us is an incredibly safe, incredibly reliable, great experience,” he said. “Thanksgiving is going to be a great holiday period of travel.”
The nationwide shortage of controllers isn’t new, but the shutdown put a spotlight on the problem and likely made it worse. Duffy said that by the end of the shutdown, 15 to 20 controllers were retiring daily and some younger controllers were leaving the profession.
FAA, airline cancellations, air traffic controller staffing, Thanksgiving travel, aviation system stabilization, flight cancellations, airline operations
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