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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 in a statement 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.
"Delta stated that due to the unforeseen spike, its workforce
and flight operations are under extraordinary strain, leaving
little margin for operational challenges caused by construction,
ATC delays, and weather," the FAA said.
The FAA said its "preference is for Delta to reduce flights from
sale to minimize disruptive, close-in cancellations."
In May, Delta said it would cut flights through August to
improve operational reliability amid soaring travel demand.
Delta said from July 1 through Aug 7 it would cut about 100
daily departures, primarily in U.S. and Latin America markets.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler, David
Gregorio and Tom Hogue)
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