DOT & FAA Announce Reduction of Required Flight Cuts to 3 Percent

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford today announced that the required flight reductions at 40 airports will be lowered from 6 percent to 3 percent, effective November 15 at 6 a.m., following a recommendation from the safety and operations team at the FAA. The decision reflects improvements in air traffic controller staffing levels and a continued decline in staffing-trigger events across the National Airspace System (NAS).

The 3 percent reduction will remain in place while the FAA monitors system performance throughout the weekend and evaluates whether normal operations can resume.

There has been a rapid decline in staffing-triggers since the November 8th record high of 81:

• Eleven staffing triggers on Tuesday, November 11
• Thirteen staffing triggers on Wednesday, November 12
• Four staffing triggers on Thursday, November 13
• Three staffing triggers today

The following restrictions will remain in place:

• Some general aviation operations at 12 airports.
• Some visual flight rule approaches (VFR) at facilities with staffing triggers.
• Commercial space launches and reentries permitted only between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time.
• Parachute operations and photo missions near facilities with a staffing trigger. 

The 40 affected high-impact airport list remains the same. This includes:

ANC - Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
ATL - Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
BOS - Boston Logan International Airport
BWI - Baltimore/Washington International Airport
CLT - Charlotte Douglas International Airport
CVG - Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
DAL - Dallas Love Field
DCA - Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
DEN - Denver International Airport
DFW - Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
DTW - Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
EWR - Newark Liberty International Airport
FLL - Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport
HNL - Honolulu International Airport
HOU - William P. Hobby Airport
IAD - Washington Dulles International Airport
IAH - George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport
IND - Indianapolis International Airport
JFK - New York John F. Kennedy International Airport
LAS - Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
LAX - Los Angeles International Airport
LGA - New York LaGuardia Airport
MCO - Orlando International Airport
MDW - Chicago Midway International Airport
MEM - Memphis International Airport
MIA - Miami International Airport
MSP - Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
OAK - Oakland International Airport
ONT - Ontario International Airport
ORD - Chicago O'Hare International Airport
PDX - Portland International Airport
PHL - Philadelphia International Airport
PHX - Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
SAN - San Diego International Airport
SDF - Louisville International Airport
SEA - Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
SFO - San Francisco International Airport
SLC - Salt Lake City International Airport
TEB - Teterboro Airport
TPA - Tampa International Airport