FAA Makes Major Decision on Flights at 40 Airports
The Federal Aviation Administration has announced a major decision that should alleviate some of the flight cancellations and delays at 40 key airports.
- The FAA required that airlines reduce flights by 6 percent due to the government shutdown. With that pressure lifting, though, the agency announced on November 14 that it was decreasing the flight reduction to 3 percent.
- According to FlightAware, on November 14, there were 2,635 delayed flights into and out of the U.S., and 1,004 cancelled flights.
"U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford today announced that the required flight reductions at 40 airports will be lowered from 6 percent to 3 percent, effective November 15 at 6 a.m., following a recommendation from the safety and operations team at the FAA," a statement from the FAA says.
"The decision reflects improvements in air traffic controller staffing levels and a continued decline in staffing-trigger events across the National Airspace System (NAS)," the statement adds.
The FAA Says the 3 Percent Reduction Will Be in Place 'Throughout the Weekend'
According to the FAA, "The 3 percent reduction will remain in place while the FAA monitors system performance throughout the weekend and evaluates whether normal operations can resume."
The FAA says "staffing triggers" are abating at airports.
"There has been a rapid decline in staffing-triggers since the November 8th record high of 81," the agency wrote, listing:
- Three staffing triggers on November 14
- Eleven staffing triggers on Tuesday, November 11
- Thirteen staffing triggers on Wednesday, November 12
- Four staffing triggers on Thursday, November 13
The agency is keeping some restrictions in place:
- "Some general aviation operations at 12 airports."
- "Some visual flight rule approaches (VFR) at facilities with staffing triggers."
- "Commercial space launches and reentries permitted only between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time."
- "Parachute operations and photo missions near facilities with a staffing trigger."
What Are the 40 Affected Airports?
The 40 affected airports are designed as high-impact airports. They are, according to the FAA:
ANC – Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
ATL – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
BOS – Boston Logan International Airport
BWI – Baltimore/Washington International Airport
CLT – Charlotte Douglas International Airport
CVG – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
DAL – Dallas Love Field
DCA – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
DEN – Denver International Airport
DFW – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
DTW – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
EWR – Newark Liberty International Airport
FLL – Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport
HNL – Honolulu International Airport
HOU – William P. Hobby Airport
IAD – Washington Dulles International Airport
IAH – George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport
IND – Indianapolis International Airport
JFK – New York John F. Kennedy International Airport
LAS – Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
LAX – Los Angeles International Airport
LGA – New York LaGuardia Airport
MCO – Orlando International Airport
MDW – Chicago Midway International Airport
MEM – Memphis International Airport
MIA – Miami International Airport
MSP – Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport
OAK – Oakland International Airport
ONT – Ontario International Airport
ORD – Chicago O’Hare International Airport
PDX – Portland International Airport
PHL – Philadelphia International Airport
PHX – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
SAN – San Diego International Airport
SDF – Louisville International Airport
SEA – Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
SFO – San Francisco International Airport
SLC – Salt Lake City International Airport
TEB – Teterboro Airport
TPA – Tampa International Airport