Passengers check in for flights at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on Friday. The airport had the most flight disruptions Thursday morning of all U.S. airports. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo
U.S. airports began Thursday with more flight delays and cancellations, the holdover effects of a 43-day government shutdown that ended overnight after Congress agreed to a stopgap funding bill.
As of midday, there were nearly 1,000 cancellations within, into or out of the United States, data from FlightAware indicates. Total delays were more than 1,100.
The website’s so-called Misery Map shows most of those cancellations and delays were centered at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week ordered 40 airports within the United States to begin cutting flights to accommodate reduced staffing of air traffic controllers. There had been an increase of employees not going to work amid the government shutdown due to missed paychecks.
The percent of flight cuts required by the FAA steadily increased over the week through Thursday, when the government reopened. The cuts started at 4% Friday and reached 6% Tuesday. Transportation Secretary announced Thursday that he would keep the 6% reduction in place as officials evaluate when it would be safe to return to full capacity, The Hill reported.
Despite the reopening, Chris Sununu, president and CEO of Airlines for America, said Wednesday it could take up to a week for normal operations to resume at U.S. airports, ABC News reported.
Flight cancellations have steadily decreased over the week, topping out at 2,953 on Sunday.
This week in Washington
President Donald Trump signs the funding package to reopen the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
