The federal government shutdown could soon come to an end. But that will not immediately fix the problems afflicting air travel.
Even if the government ends the flight restrictions in place at 40 busy airports that contributed to widespread disruptions over the weekend, it will take days for airlines to recover. And longstanding challenges to the nation’s aviation system remain.
“Even before the shutdown, there was widespread recognition that we were dealing with an ailing air traffic control system,” a coalition of groups representing all facets of aviation, from pilots to airlines to airplane manufacturers, said in an open letter to Congress on Tuesday, urging lawmakers to reopen the government.
Congress approved $12.5 billion this year to modernize the air traffic control system, and the Transportation Department has prioritized hiring more air traffic controllers. But “the shutdown takes all of that in the wrong direction,” said the letter, which was published in a full-page advertisement in The Washington Post.
There is a shortfall of about 3,000 air traffic controllers, leaving the more than 14,000 working long, stressful schedules. The shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, has increased the pressure on those controllers, who are considered essential and required to work despite not being paid. Some of them have taken other jobs to make ends meet.
Citing the need to relieve the stress on those controllers and improve air safety, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to cut flights by 4 percent at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports starting last Friday. That, alongside controller staffing shortages, contributed to thousands of canceled flights over the weekend. The disruption peaked on Sunday, when about one in 10 scheduled flights did not take off, making it the fourth-worst day of the year for flight cancellations.
The disruptions have extended into this week, as the agency’s restrictions increased to 6 percent on Tuesday and will reach 10 percent on Friday, threatening to cause chaos for Thanksgiving travel.
But there is hope that the holiday will be spared. The Senate approved a deal on Monday to end the shutdown, and the House could act quickly to pass it, too.
It could still take days for airlines to recover. That is because carriers canceled flights days in advance to give customers notice about the disruptions and to ensure that pilots, flight attendants and planes were all in place for the flights that would operate as scheduled.
“Airlines’ reduced flight schedules cannot immediately bounce back to full capacity right after the government reopens,” Airlines for America, a trade group that represents the largest passenger and cargo airlines, said in a statement on Monday. “It will take time, and there will be residual effects for days.”
Niraj Chokshi is a Times reporter who writes about aviation, rail and other transportation industries.
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