Here’s Why It Could Take Days for Flights to Return to Normal

The near-total shutdown of United States airspace ended on Friday evening, but its effects continued into Saturday, when airlines cancelled thousands of flights. Almost 15 per cent of Saturday’s flights had been cancelled by morning, and the disruption is expected to take days to resolve as airlines rebuild schedules and rebook passengers.

The shutdown left aircraft out of position and crews running up against legal working-hour limits, while crowded airports had limited space for parked planes. A delayed pilot can affect later flights on the same route, multiplying the disruption across an airline’s schedule. Delta’s Boeing 737 N865DN, for example, missed three planned flights on Friday before being assigned a different route for Saturday; major disruptions can force airlines to cancel flights to reset their networks.