Joel Rose
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But with the shutdown over, air traffic controllers have finally received some of the back pay they earned, and regulators say staffing conditions are now back to what they were before the shutdown.
Airlines say they're confident they can ramp up quickly and should be able to return to their full schedules before Thanksgiving holiday travel begins.
Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.
Aviation regulators say there's been a rapid decline in staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities over the past week.
That's given the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration the confidence that more air traffic controllers are coming to work.
Regulators lowered air traffic reductions at dozens of major airports from 6 percent of flights to 3 percent through the weekend, but they did not lift them entirely.
The FAA said the restrictions were necessary to keep the airspace safe, as the agency grappled with widespread staffing shortages of air traffic controllers during the government shutdown.
But with the government reopened, air traffic controllers have finally received some of the back pay they earned, and most are now back on the job.
Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.
Aviation regulators say there's been a rapid decline in staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities over the past week.
That's given the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration the confidence that more air traffic controllers are coming to work.
Regulators lowered air traffic reductions at dozens of major airports from 6 percent of flights to 3 percent through the weekend, but they did not lift them entirely.
The FAA said the restrictions were necessary to keep the airspace safe, as the agency grappled with widespread staffing shortages of air traffic controllers during the government shutdown.
But with the government reopened, air traffic controllers have finally received some of the back pay they earned, and most are now back on the job.
Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.
Air traffic controllers received about 70 percent of the take-home pay they earned during the shutdown, according to the Department of Transportation.
They're supposed to get the rest later this month, including any overtime or shift differential pay they've earned.
Those can be significant sums because many controllers work six days a week with mandatory overtime.
Controllers had been required to work without pay since the shutdown began.