Bay Area airport operations return to normal following resumption of full air traffic

Operations at Bay Area airports, including San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK), and San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC), have returned to normal following the FAA's decision to lift flight reductions that were in place for over a week. The FAA had previously mandated a 10% reduction in air traffic at 40 high-traffic airports due to concerns about air traffic controller fatigue. The agency cited a safety review and a decline in staffing-trigger events as reasons for lifting the mandate. Airlines, including Southwest, Delta, and United, have confirmed that they are operating full schedules and are prepared for Thanksgiving travel.

The flight reductions were initially implemented due to air traffic controller fatigue stemming from the government shutdown, during which staffers worked unpaid and often faced mandatory overtime. This led to staffing shortages as controllers called out sick or took on second jobs. The situation impacted several airports across the country, with SFO and OAK experiencing significant flight cancellations during the initial days of the reductions.

Doug Yakel, spokesperson for SFO, noted that flight traffic was returning to normal, with only a few cancellations attributed to weather. OAK reported smooth operations with minimal delays. SJC also confirmed that operations were fully back to normal after experiencing minimal disruption during the FAA's temporary flight-reduction order. Airlines reassured travelers that Thanksgiving travel is expected to proceed smoothly.

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy thanked the FAA's safety team for maintaining secure skies during the government shutdown and acknowledged the public's patience. He also highlighted the importance of surging controller hiring and building a state-of-the-art air traffic control system.