Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Monday that commercial air service across the United States should return to normal by Wednesday after a weekend winter storm led to extensive flight disruptions.
Speaking on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration requires roughly two additional days to work through the backlog created by the storm. He described the weather pattern as particularly challenging, citing the combination of ice, snow and an ensuing cold snap.
"This storm is unique," Duffy said. "You get the ice and you get the snow and, on top of that, we have now a cold weather snap that comes after it. ... So it makes it more challenging to navigate the ice that’s going over the last three days."
The scale of the disruption was substantial. According to flight tracking website FlightAware, more than 15,000 U.S. flights were canceled over the weekend. Sunday alone saw the highest number of cancellations since early 2020 when the Covid pandemic began.
Disruption continued into Monday, with over 4,000 flights canceled and nearly 10,000 delayed. Duffy pointed to operational challenges that remain, including clearing runways and maintaining adequate staffing levels when employees face difficult commuting conditions amid the winter weather.
"We’re going to have more capacity as we come back to a full running schedule," Duffy said. "So you’ll expect more full planes, more full flights as you fly this week, just as people are going to their destinations. But again, Wednesday is our target date to get back to normal."
Major U.S. carriers including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines announced they would waive cancellation fees for customers affected by the storm-related disruptions.
The full recovery timeline remains tied to several operational tasks the FAA and airlines must complete in the next 48 hours, including runway clearing and reestablishing staffing levels sufficiently to restore normal schedules.
Note: The article references flight tracking data reported by FlightAware and on-air comments made by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy during an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box."