Aviation experts say flight disruptions are expected to continue for days to come, and air travel in the U.S. won’t immediately return to normal even after the federal government reopens.
President Donald Trump signed the funding bill Wednesday night, ending the longest government shutdown in the nation’s history. The closure has put a strain on air travel, leading to tens of thousands of canceled or delayed flights and reduced flight schedules.
About 13,000 air traffic controllers were forced to work without pay for more than a month, putting an undue burden on already overworked and understaffed air traffic controllers. Federal officials have reported an increase in absenteeism among air traffic controllers since the shutdown began on October 1, with many reporting due to stress and financial strain.
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Aviation experts have warned that flight disruptions will continue even after the shutdown officially ends, as the Federal Aviation Administration grapples with widespread staffing shortages and assesses whether air traffic will return to normal.
“There will be massive disruption to the air transportation system across the country,” Henry Harteveld, an airline industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, an independent travel analysis firm, previously told USA TODAY.
Flight reductions ordered by the FAA last week at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports were initially scheduled to increase to 8% on Thursday and 10% on Friday. However, the agency announced Wednesday that the reduction would be only 6% after a significant drop in air traffic controller absenteeism ahead of the end of the shutdown.
“If the FAA safety team determines that trend lines are moving in the right direction, we will provide a path to resume normal service,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement Wednesday.
As of Thursday morning, about 1,000 flights to and from the United States had been canceled, according to aviation tracking website FlightAware. More than 450 flights were delayed at airports across the country, with most of the disruptions reported at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Experts previously told USA TODAY it will take time for aviation systems to recover.
Ahmed Abdelghani, associate dean for research at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s David B. O’Malley School of Business, said the pace of recovery in air travel “will likely vary by airport and airline and will often unfold on a case-by-case basis over several days after a formal resolution.”
When a flight is canceled, more than just one plane or route is affected. Abdelghani noted that airlines need to assess “the flow of aircraft and crew when canceling flights.”
The FAA also still faces a shortage of air traffic controllers, made worse by the shutdown. Before the shutdown, air traffic controllers were already required to work six days a week, up to 10 hours a day overtime, and were working consistently with strict vacation restrictions.
The FAA is hiring and training new air traffic controllers, but Robert Mann, a former airline executive and now president of RW Mann & Company, an independent aviation consultancy, said it’s a lengthy process with high turnover and a lot of stress.
“Do we expect all air traffic controllers to not re-enter the workforce and just come back ready to work 60 or 80 hours a week? Probably not,” said Tiffany Funk, co-founder and president of points.me, which specializes in points-based travel.
Flight disruptions began to improve on Wednesday, with more than 900 cancellations compared to 1,264 on Tuesday, 2,422 on Monday and 2,954 on Sunday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Air traffic control absences accounted for just 1% of Tuesday’s delays, compared with an average of 5% before the shutdown, the FAA said.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC he believes the airline system will return to near normality this weekend, but said the recent cancellations will cost the airline dearly. “The situation should be good by the end of the week,” Bastian said.
Following Wednesday’s passage of the funding bill, Delta Air Lines said it looks forward to “returning operations to full capacity in the coming days.”
“We are extremely grateful to all federal employees, including air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection agents, who worked without pay for more than 40 days to keep our skies safe, and to Delta Air Lines employees who worked tirelessly to care for our customers and government employees during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history,” the airline said in a statement.
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee’s Aviation, Space, and Innovation Subcommittee will hold a hearing on November 19 to examine the impact of the government shutdown on aviation safety.
The committee said in a news release that the hearing will include testimony from Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, and Chris Sununu, head of Airlines for America, a trade group representing major airlines.
“The government shutdown has had a severe impact on our already fragile aviation industry, and it will take time to recover from its effects,” Sen. Jerry Moran, chairman of the aviation subcommittee, said in a statement. “As we work to reopen government, it is important to address the damage done and consider the long-term effects of the government shutdown.”
Contributors: Trevor Hughes and Zach Wichter, USA TODAY. Reuters
