FAA Ends Flight Restrictions Ahead Of Thanksgiving Holiday 

On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it would be lifting its restrictions on air travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. 

According to NBC News, the FAA initially reduced air travel by 4% at 40 major American airports on Nov. 7. The FAA increased that restriction to 6% the following week as staffing-trigger events increased. Staffing-trigger events reached a record high on Nov. 8 with 81 reported incidents. 

The lack of air traffic controllers led to 1 in 10 flights being canceled on Nov. 9. Staffing-trigger events dramatically decreased when the government shutdown ended last week. There were six reported on Friday, eight on Saturday, and only one on Sunday. 

In addition to lifting the restriction on air traffic, limits on visual flight rule approaches, commercial space launches, and parachute operations will be lifted. Several airlines expected the restrictions to be lifted and didn’t cancel flights through the weekend and on Monday. The FAA said it was aware some airlines were operating above the imposed restrictions and is “reviewing and assessing enforcement operations.”

Throughout late October and early November, air travel faced significant disruptions stemming from the government shutdown. The air traffic control system was already short-staffed by 3,000 controllers, and the shutdown only exacerbated the issue. Air traffic was one of the immediate ways the government shutdown was felt by average Americans, as several airports reported staffing-trigger events only a week into the shutdown. 

Air traffic controllers were labeled essential workers, meaning they were expected to work without pay until the shutdown ended. Many air traffic controllers called out sick to work second jobs to make up for lost income, leading to periods when no air traffic controllers were working at all. Air traffic delays were at the heart of ending the 2018-2019 government shutdown, though it’s still unclear what role, if any, they played in the Senate Democrats’ decision to cave on the government shutdown with no meaningful gains regarding health care affordability. 

While the shutdown is over and the FAA has ended the restrictions, the effects will likely still be felt in the coming months. While Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the end of the restriction, there’s still a chance flights will be delayed throughout the holidays. During the 2018-2019 shutdown, air traffic took months to normalize as some air traffic controllers still worked second jobs until their back pay finally kicked in. 

Additionally, the government shutdown saw a dramatic increase in retirements from air traffic controllers. Before the shutdown, there was an average of four air traffic controller retirements per day. During the shutdown, that number shot up to 25 per day. Duffy has previously said that it’s going to take time to account for how many air traffic controllers were lost during the shutdown. 

“It’s going to be harder for me to come back after the shutdown and have more controllers controlling the airspace,” Duffy said in an interview with CNN. “This is going to live on in air travel well beyond the time frame that this government opens back up.”

SEE ALSO:

Air Travel Will Still Be Hampered Despite Government Shutdown Ending

FAA To Cut Air Traffic If Government Shutdown Continues