Flight cancellations ease with end to the shutdown

The Department of Transportation late Wednesday froze flight cuts it imposed less than a week ago as air travel disruptions eased across the U.S., hours before the longest government shutdown ended.

The department implemented the freeze before the House approved a funding bill that would keep the government open through January. President Donald Trump signed the bill on Wednesday, the White House said.

On Wednesday, 816 U.S. departures were canceled, 3.5% of airlines’ schedule, the lowest rate and number of cancellations since last Thursday, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

The shutdown again put air travel in the spotlight and heightened strains on air traffic controllers, who have been required to work without receiving their regularly scheduled paychecks. The DOT said Wednesday night in a statement that there was a “rapid decline” in callouts from controllers in the last two days.

Trump administration officials on Friday started requiring airlines to trim their schedules, citing safety risks and additional strain on controllers. The required cancellations rose from 4% of domestic flights at U.S. airports to 6% on Tuesday, blaming increased strain on air traffic controllers. They would have increased to 10% by Friday, but DOT froze the increases on Wednesday night.

But the cuts weren’t enough to avoid further disruptions that were worsened by widespread staffing shortages and bad weather, leading to an influx of cancellations and delays last weekend.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said Wednesday on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” that the shutdown will have a financial impact on the carrier but it wouldn’t come close to wiping out the airline’s profits. He warned that he thinks there will be another shutdown at some point and said air traffic controllers should be paid if that happens.

U.S. airline shares were up broadly on Wednesday before the House vote.

Thin air traffic controller staffing has been on the rise during the shutdown that started Oct. 1, leading to thousands of flights being slowed or altogether canceled and disrupting travel plans of 5 million passengers, according to Airlines for America, an industry group that represents the largest U.S. carriers. Some air traffic controllers were forced to take second jobs to make ends meet, the controllers’ union and government officials have said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and major airlines this week warned that air travel won’t immediately snap back to normal even after the shutdown.

“We’re going to wait to see the data on our end before we take out the restrictions in travel but it depends on controllers coming back to work,” Duffy said at a news conference at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Tuesday.