FAA freezes flight reductions at 6% as staffing levels improve, airlines working to resume normal operations

Some relief for fliers as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says now that the government shutdown has ended, flight reductions are expected to stay at 6% at 40 major airports across the U.S.

The backstory:

Last week, the FAA ordered domestic airlines at 40 major U.S. airports to reduce operations to ease demand on control towers, which were short-staffed during the shutdown. Air traffic controllers went unpaid and are required to work during a government shutdown.

On Wednesday evening, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and FAA issued an emergency order freezing flight reductions at 6% amid a "rapid decline" in air traffic controller callouts. It replaces the previous order which would have seen the cuts rise to 10% on Friday.

"The FAA safety team is encouraged to see our