The Schumer Shutdown is over, the Thanksgiving travel rush is a little over a week away, and we're pleased to see that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that on Monday, it will lift the last remaining air traffic restrictions.
The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) flight reduction emergency order will officially end Monday morning, allowing normal operations to resume nationwide, according to officials.
The order will be lifted at 6 a.m. ET Monday following recommendations from the FAA’s safety team. The decision came after safety reviews and improvements in air traffic control staffing levels across the U.S., according to a Sunday announcement from the FAA.
"I want to thank the FAA’s dedicated safety team for keeping our skies secure during the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history and the country’s patience for putting safety first," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. "Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, controllers have returned to their posts and normal operations can resume."
The day before Thanksgiving, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), is typically the busiest day of the year for air travel, with the days around the Christmas season a very close second. So this reprieve will be very welcome news to millions of Americans looking forward to family, old friends, turkey with stuffing, and tryptophan-induced food comas.
Now, according to the Transportation Secretary, the Trump administration can get back to work updating the entire air traffic control system.
Duffy added, "Now we can refocus our efforts on surging controller hiring and building the brand new, state-of-the-art air traffic control system the American people deserve."
Since the government shutdown ended, staffing levels have largely shifted back to normal, according to the announcement.
That's a good early Christmas present for American travelers.
Read More: FAA Cuts Flight Restrictions by Half: Post-Shutdown Skies Start Clearing
Here's the List of Airports With Reduced Flights Due to the Schumer Shutdown
These holidays, of course, also see a lot of road travel. In fact, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the vast majority of Thanksgiving travel is by road.
The AAA projects that at least 73 million people will travel by car, which amounts to nearly 90 percent of Thanksgiving travelers and an additional 1.3 million people on the road compared to Thanksgiving last year. “That number could end up being higher if some air travelers decide to drive instead of fly following recent flight cancellations,” the automotive body said in statement (sic) Monday.
According to the AAA, 81.8 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the Thanksgiving holiday period from Tuesday, November 25 to Monday, December 1. “This year’s domestic travel forecast includes an additional 1.6 million travelers compared to last Thanksgiving, setting a new overall record,” the AAA said.
Not really an option if you're an Alaskan planning to visit family in the lower 48, but the majority of Americans who travel for this holiday will be doing so by road. So let's hope for good weather, clear roads, and don't worry overly much about your trip's carbon footprint. Just enjoy the time with family.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState's conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member