FAA rule change quietly slashes 10% of flights at major airports

Travelers like to have a good number of flight options to give them plenty of choices to get to their destination. The more flight times that are available, the easier it is to find something that fits your schedule.

That’s why it can be disappointing and very inconvenient when there are major decreases in the number of flights traveling to and from a particular location. Recently, however, a new change to an FAA rule opened the door to a reduction in flights traveling to several major U.S. airports.

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The FAA’s rule change could affect some of the busiest airports in the country. While this may be a significant inconvenience for those who are looking to catch flights in and out of the popular location, the FAA has a very good reason for updating the rule.

The FAA is modifying the current policy in light of concerns about the number of air traffic controllers who are available to work at the affected airports.

The good news is that the modification is temporary, and it hopefully will not have a long-term effect on travelers' options for getting to their final destination.

Here’s the change the FAA made, what it means for travelers, and why it’s happening.

An FAA rule change will result in fewer flights to some large U.S. airports.

Image source: Shutterstock

FAA makes change that opens the door to substantial flight reductions

The FAA change occurred near the end of July. The agency agreed to extend cuts to the minimum flight requirements at certain congested airports in New York, including both New York JFK Airport and LaGuardia Airport.

Under the established rules, there are minimum flight requirements in place at these airports. Because of these requirements, if airlines do not use their takeoff and landing slots at congested airports at least 80% of the time, the airline can lose those slots.

This means airlines essentially have to continue flying into overcrowded airports to avoid losing access to slots in major markets.

However, the FAA had issued a waiver of these rules for these New York airports because of a shortage of air traffic controllers. A trade group called Airlines for America — which represents represents American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines — had requested that the FAA extend those waivers.

Airlines for America had requested the waiver through October 2027, and for the waiver to also cover flights at Newark. The FAA instead agreed to extend the waiver through October 2026, which will mean that airlines are allowed to fly 10% fewer flights through that time period.

How does waiving minimum flight requirements affect flyers?

With the extension of the waiver, major airlines do not need to operate as many flights to be eligible to fly into the affected airports. If airlines reduce flights to the New York City area in light of the waiver, it could mean fewer options for passengers flying out of these locations to a wide variety of destinations.

The FAA will also provide more flexibility for flights that operate between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and New York airports affected by the air traffic controller shortage.

Of course, the FAA’s actions are well within the bounds of reason, as no one wants more flights to airports where there are not enough air traffic controllers to ensure safety.

There are around 3,500 fewer air traffic controllers than the FAA’s target, and this has led to delayed and canceled flights, as well as many controllers being forced to work mandatory overtime.

The good news is, Congress has approved $12.5 billion to address this problem and to try to overhaul the system so that there are fewer problems with staffing shortages in the future.

The FAA has also made clear that it “does not anticipate issuing further broad slot waivers as it works on a long-term solution to solve the chronic low levels of fully certified air traffic controllers.”

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Hopefully the waivers will not need to be extended again, and a fuller flight schedule can resume as soon as possible at affected New York airports, giving travelers back the flexibility they need when planning their trips.