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