U.S. carriers seek to extend flight limits at packed airports [Video]

U.S. airlines are seeking another year of voluntary flight reductions at some of the nation’s most congested airports as the industry struggles with an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers.

If federal aviation regulators grant the request, airlines could reduce flights at all three major New York City-area airports as well as Ronald Reagan Washington National until October 2025 without the risk of losing their valuable airport flight slots. Currently, the program is scheduled to expire this October.

Airlines for America, the trade group for major carriers, requested in a letter to the U.S. Transportation Department and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The flight reductions, first put in place in May 2023, followed a dramatic upswing in delays and cancellations as traffic surged back after the pandemic at the same time the U.S. was hit by a wave of controller retirements. Air traffic in the northeastern U.S. is particularly critical because …