The skies above Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and 39 other major airports are set to see an influx of flights as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifts restrictions that have kept airlines below normal operational levels. The order, which was a result of the country's longest government shutdown, will end Monday at 6 a.m. EST, as per an announcement from the FAA.
Since November 7, commercial flights have been operating under constraints that began with a 4% reduction and were expected to climb to 10%. Instead, after a bill to reopen the government was passed, these restrictions saw a decrease to below 3% before being rescinded. According to a FOX 5 Atlanta report, travelers are expressing relief in anticipation of the busy holiday travel season.
"I’m glad that it ended before Thanksgiving. I’ve got family coming into town," one traveler told FOX 5. As the FAA order lift clears the path for airlines to return to full schedules, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Brian Bedford, in a joint statement, highlighted the role of the agency’s safety team in recommending the end of the restrictions. They credited "a detailed review of safety trends and the steady decline of staffing trigger events at air traffic control facilities" for this advisory.
Despite the previous turmoil in the skies, recent data has shown improvement. Analytics from Cirium indicated that less than 1% of all flights were canceled this past weekend. FlightAware reported a further decline in cancellations to 149 flights on Sunday from 315 on Saturday, signaling a swift return to standard operating rates at impacted airports. In their joint statement, Duffy and Bedford acknowledged that an agency safety team recommended the order be rescinded after "detailed reviews of safety trends and the steady decline of staffing-trigger events in air traffic control facilities,” as noted by Atlanta News First.
Notably, during the shutdown, air traffic controllers, among other federal employees, were made to continue work without pay and missed two paychecks during the standoff. The FAA has not elaborated on reports of non-compliance by carriers throughout the emergency order but is considering enforcement options. With the FAA order now lifted, airline leaders are optimistic about meeting the high demand expected during Thanksgiving travel.
