The government shutdown is over, but what about Thanksgiving flights?
The 43-day government shutdown is officially over, but several large airports will continue to reduce flights by six percent.
On Nov. 7, the FAA ordered flights to be reduced by 10 percent. Then on Nov. 12, Congress met and voted on a Senate-passed funding package to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
However, just because the government reopened does not necessarily guarantee immediate travel relief. And airline experts predict reduced flights will affect Thanksgiving travel plans.
Both local North Texas airports– Dallas Love Field and DFW International Airport – were among the 40 airports that were forced to cut down service. If you are traveling for Thanksgiving, it’s important to be prepared for a rescheduled or even cancelled flight.
Why do airports have to keep flights reduced though the government is reopened?
The FAA flight reduction was ultimately a safety decision, said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
“Such strong staffing levels suggest a further ramp up in-flight reductions are not necessary to keep the traveling public safe,” Duffy said in a statement.
Air traffic controllers will receive back pay, according to the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019. However, based on the last shutdown, back pay can take up to two-and-a-half months to receive.
“Since the beginning of the shutdown, controllers have been working without pay, and staffing triggers at air traffic facilities across the country have been increasing,” the National Air Traffic Controllers Association wrote in an email to the Star-Telegram this week. “This has resulted in increased reports of strain on the system from both pilots and air traffic controllers.”
What will DFW Airport and Dallas Love Field be like during Thanksgiving week?
Tiffany Funk, co-founder and president of the travel-tech company point.me, told USA Today that airports during the week of Thanksgiving will most likely be stressful. It sounds like for those who will travel, they need to determine if they have the patience to.
“You can’t just flip a switch and reboot our national aviation infrastructure,” Funk told USA TODAY. “We have aircraft that are out of place, crews that are out of place, pilots that are out of place … When you try to restart the system like that, it’s not going to get better quickly. I would expect really bumpy operations and pretty brutal travel experiences, at least throughout the week.”
Earlier this year, the Star-Telegram spoke to travel advisor Denise DelVecchio about holiday travel tips. Keep in mind that plane tickets the day before, of and after holidays will always be more expensive and busy. Always arrive early to the airport (two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight).
If your flight gets canceled due to lingering effects of the shutdown, try and re-book as soon as possible, either in-person at the airport or through the airline’s app. Some airlines may waive change fees.
Why has there been a lack of air traffic controllers since the shutdown?
Since the government reopening doesn’t mean an immediate paycheck– or immediate backpay– it is uncertain whether air traffic controllers will all bounce back right away.
NATCA told CNN some controllers have already taken second jobs, and those side hustles could continue until they get their missed paychecks.
Duffy also told CNN that there has been a spike in air traffic controller retirement since the shutdown began. Before Oct. 1, an average of four controllers would retire per day. Now, there’s 20 to 25 controllers retiring per day.
Duffy and the FAA will have to figure out how many controllers retired or resigned due to the shutdown and assess the damage from there. This means that once the government reopens, it will take some time to assess the damage done to the controller space because of the shutdown.