FAA opens military airspace to accommodate holiday travel rush
foxbusiness.comU.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke Tuesday alongside FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker in Arlington, Virginia.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has opened military airspace across the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico to ease pressure on commercial airline routes for the festive period, and so far delays have been kept to a minimum despite heavy downpours from a storm slamming the West Coast.
The agency estimates that just under 44,000 flights will take off today – the second busiest day of the holiday season – and so far about 56 have been delayed, according to tracking service FlightAware. That figure equates to around 0.12%.
Thursday was the busiest day for flying, with just under 49,000 flights taking to the skies, with 108 flight cancelations, or 0.22%.
Travelers look at flight information at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco, California, on Thursday, December 21, 2023. So far, delays have been kept to a minimum despite heavy downpours from a storm slamming the West Coast. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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It means good news so far for passengers traveling home or going elsewhere for Christmas, as earlier this week U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned that winter weather would be a challenge as the year-end holiday travel period is expected to be one of the busiest in decades.
Pockets of heavy snow are forecast as the storm makes its way across the central U.S. this weekend. Rain will also begin to pick up Saturday night across the southern Plains in a swath from Kansas to Texas, according to Fox Weather. Coverage will increase on Christmas Eve, with
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