US allows Delta to temporarily cut some New York, Washington flights

Delta can temporarily cut some flights at New York's LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the US FAA said on Friday. The FAA said as a condition of approval that Delta "should offer customers a refund or rebook them on Delta or another carrier as needed for canceled flights at the three airports." Delta had asked the FAA to waive minimum slot requirements at the congested airports because of issues including New York airport construction, significant crew sick time, severe weather and air traffic control delays and cancellations. The FAA said the approval "will support Delta’s steps to make schedule adjustments and staff assignments to increase the reliability of its operations and minimize disruptions to travelers." The relief covers flights June 1 through Sept. 5. Airlines can lose their slots at some congested airports if they do not use them at least 80% of the time. Delta said the FAA approval "will allow us to continue improving shared challenges and service reliability with minimal impact to customers." An airline spokeswoman declined to say how many flights were covered by the waiver. The FAA disclosed in May that Delta pilots missed 19,985 days due to sickness, up 45% from 13,786 days in May 2019. In June, pilot sick days rose 50% from June 2019. Delta also reported in May its flight attendants missed 43,908 days due to sickness, up 23%, the FAA said.<br/>