Could airline travel return to normal in time for the holiday rush?

Government Shutdown Impact - The Federal Aviation Administration reduced air traffic by 10% at 40 airports across the country due to the government shutdown [1] - The airline industry analyst believes that restoring schedules to normal could be done in a couple of days, with cuts to operations currently well below 10% [2] - Airlines are likely to cut the least profitable operations, potentially smaller aircraft, and the cuts observed were around 4-5% [4][5] - A prolonged government shutdown could lead to air traffic controllers being unwilling to pick up additional shifts, impacting the air traffic control system [6] Thanksgiving Travel - Leisure travelers typically book flights 50-56 days before travel, suggesting most Thanksgiving tickets are already purchased [8] - Business travel typically slows down after the first week of November until after Thanksgiving [9] - Air travel volumes are expected to be up 4-5% compared to last year, in line with supply additions from US carriers [11] - A continued government shutdown could create a mess during the Thanksgiving travel crunch, potentially leading to airlines owing credits for cancelled flights [11][12] Future Concerns - The airline industry is somewhat at the mercy of the situation, with the shutdown occurring during non-peak seasons (4Q and 1Q) [14] - The next major concern for airlines is getting into March, specifically spring break and late February [15]