Here’s Why Flights Could Take Days to Return to Normal After Shutdown

A shutdown with lingering effects

The nation’s airspace reopened Friday evening after a near-total shutdown. Its effects continued the next day, as airlines canceled thousands of flights. Air travel depends on several pieces being in place at once: an available aircraft, a crew able to work and an open airport gate. Disruptions to any of them can delay the rest of a flight’s schedule.

Planes and crews out of position

Thousands of aircraft were grounded Friday, filling limited space on the ground. Many returned to the airports they had just departed, according to aviation data firm Cirium. At crowded airports, jets sat idle while crews reached their legal work limits. Pilots generally may fly for eight or nine hours and work shifts lasting 9 to 14 hours, though airline policies and union contracts can set shorter limits. Flight attendants also face shift limits, and both groups need substantial breaks between shifts.

One delay can affect later flights

A pilot waiting through Friday’s ground stop might have run out of permitted work time before a planned New York-to-Miami flight. The airline could then need a replacement for that flight and for the pilot’s next assignment out of Miami on Saturday.

Repeated across hundreds of crew schedules, such disruptions can unravel an airline’s plans. The problem is not limited to the flight that was delayed; later trips depend on the same crews and aircraft being in the right places.

A Delta plane’s changed route

Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 N865DN began Friday flying from Charleston, S.C., to Atlanta. It then made round trips to Louisville, Ky., and Norfolk, Va., before returning to Atlanta, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24.

The plane was due to continue to Savannah, Ga., return to Atlanta and then fly to Chicago, where it was expected to start Saturday. Those three flights did not happen. Delta’s revised Saturday plan scheduled the aircraft from Atlanta to Spokane, Wash., then Salt Lake City and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

Resetting airline schedules

After smaller disruptions, airlines may resume flights and try to catch up. A larger breakdown like Friday’s can require a broader reset, including canceling flights in advance. Airlines must coordinate aircraft, crews and gates while rebooking passengers and moving planes back into position. That work is why the return to normal is likely to stretch over several days.