CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated a 6% reduction in flights as of Tuesday, contributing to the cancellation of 7,000 flights since Friday.
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The reduction in flights is due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, which has led to significant disruptions for travelers, including the McKenzie family, who were planning a special trip to celebrate their daughter Abigail’s first birthday.
“We are checking in our bags and our car seat and everything, and I hear this alert on my phone and I knew it was Delta,” said Rudi McKenzie, an air traveler affected by the cancellations. “And the funny thing is, we were literally putting the suitcases on the conveyor belt and we got the message before the check-in attendant got it.”
The FAA’s mandated flight reductions are set to increase throughout the week, with an 8% reduction expected by Thursday and a 10% reduction by Friday, according to Tucker Balch, a business professor at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and a former Air Force pilot.
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Balch noted that even after the shutdown is officially over and government funding is restored, a return to normal operations won’t happen immediately. “I kind of suspect the controllers are going to wait until they start seeing the money in their checking account before they return,” he said.
Balch also mentioned that while a return to normal operations might begin next week, a stable situation is likely at least two weeks away.
He suggested that operations could be back to normal by Thanksgiving, barring any major weather disruptions.
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