After the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, air travel at the world’s busiest airport appears to be returning mostly to normal.
Normal operations at Atlanta’s airport
As of 5 p.m. Saturday, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport reported only five canceled flights and 83 delays, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com. On Friday, the airport saw 54 cancellations and 275 delays.
As of 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, zero of the canceled flights belonged to Delta or Delta Connections. Southwest and Mesa airlines, which operates United and American Express flights, both had two flights canceled.
Flyers happy that shutdown ended
A FOX 5 crew at the airport Saturday spoke with several travelers who said their flights went smoothly, and their airport experience was better than expected.
“My flight is on time. So hopefully, everything is back to normal, and we can relax a bit,” said Fabian Elizando.
FAA flight reductions
During the record-breaking shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented a flight reduction program, which has now been scaled back. The reductions capped at 6% when the government reopened Wednesday. By Friday, the FAA rolled them back to a maximum of 3%, which hasn’t caused major issues at the Atlanta airport.
At the height of the delays, Hartsfield-Jackson saw hundreds of cancellations and delays each day. Last Saturday, the airport experienced a combination of shutdown-related and severe weather delays, causing major headaches for travelers.
Delta working to return to normal
The return to near-normal operations comes just in time for the busy holiday travel season.
Atlanta serves as Delta Air Lines’ headquarters and largest hub, with most flight disruptions affecting the carrier. During the shutdown, Delta allowed customers to alter their travel plans without penalty, and the airline hasn’t yet said if that policy will change.
