Will air travel be back to normal before Thanksgiving?

By Joel Rose,

Published November 15, 2025 at 5:05 PM EST

The shutdown is over, but a 3% cut in flights remains as air traffic staffing slowly rebounds.

Joel Rose

Joel Rose is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk. He covers immigration and breaking news.

Sacha Pfeiffer

Sacha Pfeiffer is a correspondent for NPR's Investigations team and an occasional guest host for some of NPR's national shows.

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.

Contribute now

Related Content

NPR News

Disability rights activist and author Alice Wong dies at 51

Chloe Veltman

The MacArthur "Genius" Award-winner was best known as the founder of the Disability Visibility Project, which highlights disabled people and disability culture through storytelling projects, social media and other channels.
China's astronauts land safely after space debris collision

Emily Feng

Three Chinese astronauts are back on earth after they had to prolong their stay in outer space due to space debris hitting their spacecraft.
White House pivots to affordability as President Trump confronts voter discontent

Tamara Keith

President Trump says he's going to make America affordable again. It's a pivot to focusing on the economy as voters express discontent.
Redistricting in Missouri revives a century-old racial fault line

Celisa Calacal

A new Trump-backed voting map reopens Kansas City's racial divide along Troost Avenue.
NPR News

Mexico's new generation takes to the streets, accusing leaders of protecting cartels

Eyder Peralta

Gen Z activists are marching in Mexico City today against what they call a narco-state, while Mexican President Sheinbaum alleges the protesters are backed by right-wing parties.