There could soon be smoother skies ahead for weary travelers now that Washington has voted to end the government shutdown.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said this week that more air-traffic controllers are returning to work, and the number of cancellations and delays has already dropped at major airports. Still, he cautioned that it may take several days to a week for full flight schedules to resume.
“A lot more air traffic controllers are coming in,” Duffy said. “The air traffic controllers are seeing an end to the shutdown and feel more hopeful and they’re coming in to their facilities.”
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The Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines last week to scale back flights at 40 major airports to relieve pressure on short-staffed control towers. The cuts, meant to ensure safety as controllers worked without pay, forced airlines to cancel more than 10,000 flights. Now, even with the shutdown over, those reductions will remain in place until staffing levels stabilize.
Passengers are hoping things normalize soon. Schnell Hart said she had no issues flying from Philadelphia to Atlanta. “Travel’s been great. No delays at all,” she said. Others haven’t been as lucky. Cheree Berkowitz said her trip to Orlando was canceled and her return flight to Atlanta delayed for two hours. “I feel frustrated. I’m delayed. I feel sweaty. I feel inconvenienced,” she said.
Kit Darby, president of kitdarby.com Aviation Consulting and a former United Airlines pilot, expects operations to rebound quickly. “We should be in good shape for Thanksgiving,” Darby said. “The recovery should be relatively quick, most of it in a few days, certainly in a week. We know where they’re at, we can reposition airplanes, pilots as needed. The system should get back very quickly to where we were before the shutdown.”
Still, disruptions could persist as airlines untangle backlogs ahead of the busy holiday season. Transportation experts are warning travelers to stay alert for shifting schedules and limited seat availability.
SEE ALSO: Travel disruptions expected to continue after end of government shutdown
Darby recommends checking the “where is my plane” link on your airline’s website, reviewing TSA and departure delays before heading to the airport, and looking at seat maps. Flights with many empty seats are more likely to be canceled.
Meanwhile, more travelers are turning to trains and buses as an alternative to the air chaos. AAA projects more than 55 million people will travel 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving, and ground travel demand is rising.
Travel search site Wanderu reports bus and train bookings are up 12% year over year, with some routes seeing 30% more demand. Amtrak said it expects record-breaking Thanksgiving travel this year, with double-digit growth in early bookings.
“We’re preparing for one of the busiest holiday travel periods in our history,” an Amtrak spokesperson told Reuters. “To meet demand, we’re expanding capacity across our Northeast Corridor routes connecting Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C.”
Kai Boysan, CEO of Flix North America, which owns Greyhound and Megabus, said the company is watching the surge closely. “We anticipate more travelers may turn to ground transportation in the days ahead, and we’re monitoring demand closely,” Boysan said. “We’re ready to add capacity where needed to ensure people can keep moving.”
