Tens of thousands of airline passengers are facing severe disruption as US federal officials warn that airports have been overwhelmed by the massive holiday travel rush. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been forced to implement major airspace restrictions to manage the unprecedented demand.
Widespread Airspace Flow Programs Enacted
On Friday, the FAA issued eight separate airspace flow restrictions, impacting nearly every major air traffic control centre across the United States. Key hubs affected include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, and Miami. These Airspace Flow Programs (AFPs) are designed to slash the number of aircraft permitted to enter specific, congested sections of airspace, preventing dangerous overcrowding as hundreds of flights converge on popular holiday destinations.
The restrictions, which began on Friday morning, are scheduled to remain in effect until between 6pm and 10pm Eastern Time. They will impact almost any major airport in the US or Canada operating flights to Florida or the Caribbean on what is one of the busiest travel days of the entire year.
Peak Delays Exceed Six Hours
The FAA has established hourly limits on flights crossing designated Flow Constrained Area (FCA) boundaries. These are specific zones over or around the US that mark flight routes expected to be inundated with holiday traffic. Friday's critical zones cover routes over the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea leading to southern Florida, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos, St Lucia, the Aruba region, Mexico, and San Diego.
Officials anticipate the worst average delays to occur between 3pm and 6pm. Some routes over Mexico and the Dominican Republic are forecast to see peak delays exceeding three hours. Most staggeringly, maximum delays for flights travelling through the FCA over Florida are projected to reach 398 minutes – that's more than six and a half hours of hold-ups on Friday afternoon.
Passengers Brace for Extended Disruption
The scene at major airports like San Francisco International has been one of long queues and frustration, with over eight million people expected to fly during the final two weeks of December. The FAA's decisive action underscores the immense pressure on the US aviation system during the festive period, as it works to balance safety with the sheer volume of travellers.
This remains a developing story, with further updates on the extent of the delays and passenger impact expected to follow.
