FAA Ends Shutdown Flight Cuts—Controllers Finally Paid With Air!

KEY POINTS

•The FAA rescinded emergency flight cuts at 6am Monday after a 43-day government shutdown.
•Air traffic controllers worked without pay and many called out sick causing flights to be cut at 40 major airports.
•Flight reductions started at 4% on Nov. 7, rose to 6%, then improved to 3% by Friday due to better staffing.
•Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy thanked FAA staff and promised investments in hiring and upgrading control systems.

After a heroic 43-day saga where FAA air traffic controllers worked without pay—basically unpaid superheroes of the skies, minus capes—their mass sick-outs caused 40 high-traffic airports to slash flights by up to 6%. FAA brain Bryan Bedford crowned November 17 like the end of an epic Netflix hostage crisis by lifting restrictions at 6am Monday. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy showered thanks on underpaid sky warriors and promised a "brand new, state of the art" control system because apparently backup radios from the 80s just won't cut it anymore. Meanwhile, passengers were left hanging after Biden's crackdown on delay-compensation flights got cannonballed.