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The federal government reopened late Wednesday, ending a six-week stalemate in Washington.<\/p>\n
Now, the race is on to get air travel back on track, with just over a week to go until the unofficial start of the Thanksgiving travel rush<\/a> \u2014 and the stakes are high.<\/p>\n Airlines are expecting to fly a record-setting 31 million passengers between Nov. 21 and Dec. 1. It’s also quite possible the Sunday after Turkey Day could break the record for the busiest day ever at U.S. airports.<\/p>\n But after tens of thousands of flight cancellations and delays<\/a> over the past week, the key question remains: Will holiday travel run smoothly, or will travelers run into a shutdown hangover at airports?<\/p>\n “It’s not a light switch,” cautioned former airline pilot Shye Gilad, professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. “I still think it’s going to be a more-challenging-than-normal travel season.”<\/p>\n Still, with flight cancellations and delays on the decline and critical aviation workers set to get paid, there’s new optimism the worst air travel disruptions could be behind us.<\/p>\n “Reopening the government will allow U.S. airlines to restore their operations ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday,” a trade group for the largest airlines said in a statement late Wednesday.<\/p>\n A few key factors will determine how fast air travel returns to normal.<\/p>\n For starters, the Federal Aviation Administration still has to decide when to end mandatory flight restrictions<\/a> at dozens of the nation’s busiest airports.<\/p>\n Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter<\/p>\n Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG\u2019s experts<\/p>\nWhat it will take to get air travel back on track<\/h2>\n
FAA flight limitations<\/h3>\n