STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Americans are going to be on the move for the Thanksgiving holiday, and that includes millions who will fly to visit family and friends.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Federal regulators say the U.S. aviation system is back to normal. After the government shutdown. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is urging travelers to be on their best behavior as they head to the airport.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SEAN DUFFY: It's my responsibility to behave well. I can't offload that to anybody else. It's me and how am I going to behave, how I'm going to have my kids behave as we travel together, how I dress. I'm not trying to put blame on anybody. I'm just asking us all to be better and do better.
INSKEEP: These remarks prompted a lot of reactions, so we've called NPR transportation correspondent Joel Rose. Joel, good morning.
JOEL ROSE, BYLINE: Hi, Steve.
INSKEEP: Are you dressed well for this interview?
ROSE: (Laughter) This is radio, Steve. I don't have to answer that question.
INSKEEP: OK, fine, fine. We'll just assume. We'll imagine. What is the transportation secretary asking here?
ROSE: Yeah, this is what the Department of Transportation is calling a civility campaign, which it has dubbed, quote, "the golden age of travel starts with you." Secretary Duffy is encouraging travelers to treat airport and airline staff with respect, to dress better, as you noted and to show more courtesy to other passengers as well. The timing on this is a little bit puzzling. There was a big uptick in episodes of unruly passengers during the COVID pandemic, but those numbers have come down a lot since then. And the administration's critics note that this campaign is putting a lot of pressure on passengers while seemingly letting airlines off the hook for their part in making flying less civil. And some critics have noted the Trump administration is simultaneously rolling back rules about how airlines have to treat passengers.
INSKEEP: Well, if I'm heading to the airport, what should I expect today?
ROSE: I would look for big crowds. The Federal Aviation Administration says this could be the busiest Thanksgiving in 15 years, with a peak of more than 52,000 scheduled flights yesterday alone. AAA says about 6 million people are expected to fly in the week before and after the holiday. Though AAA also cautions that number could wind up slightly lower if some air travelers made other plans because of the flight disruptions that happened during the government shutdown. There are indications that advanced bookings this year are down a bit compared to last year, off by about 4%, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium, which suggests that maybe demand is not quite where the airlines expected. It would be coming out of the shutdown, but, you know, in any case, you should expect the airports to be very busy.
INSKEEP: Is the system ready?
ROSE: The FAA says yes. I mean, the agency says air traffic controller staffing is back to normal levels. Those controllers, of course, were required to work without pay during the shutdown. Some took on second jobs, and many called out sick. That led to staffing shortages at many facilities, and it eventually pushed the FAA to order flight reductions at dozens of major airports, though those limits are now lifted.
INSKEEP: How can we measure the morale of air traffic controllers after they went so many weeks without being paid?
ROSE: It's an interesting question. The Department of Transportation has said it will give $10,000 bonuses to air traffic controllers who did not miss a single shift during the 43-day shutdown, a proposal originally suggested by President Trump, but only a small fraction of working air traffic controllers will qualify. Just 311 controllers out of more than 10,000 will get the cash bonuses, according to the controllers union, and that's causing some resentment among those who did not qualify. Some have called the bonuses unfair and even a betrayal of those who did a lot of hard work during the shutdown.
INSKEEP: NPR's Joel Rose, who will be among the millions flying today. Joel, where are you headed?
ROSE: New Orleans, Louisiana.
INSKEEP: Oh, wow. Sounds great. Enjoy. Take it easy.
ROSE: You too. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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