- Federal aviation officials maintain 6% capacity cut at DTW and other busy airports, but back off larger reductions
- Federal government shutdown is over, but prompted concerns about air traffic control staffing
- Detroit-based pilots, airport authority told Michigan lawmakers to ‘expect cancellations,’ long-term impacts as airports recover
The federal government shutdown may be over, but pilots and officials operating out of Michigan’s largest airport warned Thursday that flight delays and cancellations will likely continue heading toward the busy holiday travel season.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed budget legislation ending the record 43-day government shutdown, during which thousands of federal employees were either furloughed or required to work without pay.
Staffing concerns among air traffic controllers, who are paid by the federal government, prompted significant delays and cancellations in the nation’s largest airports after the Department of Transportation ordered a temporary reduction in flights, citing “signs of stress in the system.”
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and 39 other airports around the country were and remain subject to a 6% reduction in flight capacity, First Officer Logan Woods, a Michigan-based Delta pilot representing the Air Line Pilots Association, told a Michigan Senate committee Thursday.
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“Hopefully things are approaching normal before the holiday,” Woods said, adding that he expects “a gradual wind down” of capacity reductions now that air traffic controllers can expect a paycheck.
But in the coming days, “I would anticipate cancellations,” he said.
On Sunday, 562 flights going into and out of DTW were delayed, and 119 were canceled altogether, according to the tracking website FlightAware. On Wednesday, the tracker showed 83 reported delays and 32 cancellations total.
Federal authorities initially planned ramping up capacity reductions to 10% starting Friday if the shutdown continued. That will no longer be necessary, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said, but the administration stopped short of removing the new restrictions entirely.
“If the (Federal Aviation Administration) safety team determines the trend lines are moving in the right direction, we’ll put forward a path to resume normal operations,” Duffy said in a statement following passage of the federal budget legislation.
In a Monday morning post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump suggested air traffic controllers who hadn’t taken time off during the shutdown should get a $10,000-per-person bonus “for distinguished service to our Country.”
In comments to the Michigan Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Thursday, Woods and other Michigan aviation officials warned that the prolonged shutdown without pay for key airport staff caused unnecessary hassle for travelers and increased risks.
“The job of keeping aviation safe and secure is tough on an easy day, but forcing them to do it without pay undermines the safety and security of our entire system,” Woods said.
Amber Hunt, chief financial officer of the Wayne County Airport Authority, said that while she was “excited and relieved” that the government is reopening, the disruption “has taken a significant toll on the traveling public” that could have long-term funding impacts for the airport.
She also expressed fear that holiday air traffic might be down if prospective passengers concerned about delays and cancellations make alternative travel plans.
“It takes a little while for people to regain that trust,” she said.
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