WASHINGTON - With the record-breaking federal shutdown over, the Transportation Department said Sunday it is ending a mandate that had led to the cancellation of thousands of flights across the nation.

The 3 percent reductions for domestic flights at 40 busy airports will end Monday, DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration announced. That means normal operations can resume across the national airspace as the hectic Thanksgiving holiday week approaches.

“The decision to rescind the [emergency] order reflects the steady decline in staffing concerns,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement.

The department last week froze its cuts at 6 percent, then lowered them to 3 percent, citing an increase in air traffic controllers coming to work. Initially, the reductions had been set to rise to 8 and finally 10 percent.

In a news release Sunday, DOT and the FAA said staffing levels “have continued to snap back into place” since the end of the shutdown.

Story Date: November 17, 2025