Air travel is beginning to stabilize after days of chaos caused by government-mandated flight cuts and severe weather. However, officials warn that travelers should still expect delays and cancellations heading into the weekend.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday that the number of air traffic control staffing issues — the primary reason for widespread flight reductions — has dropped sharply. "Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were very rough travel days — significant cancellations and significant delays," Duffy said at a news conference from Chicago O’Hare International Airport. "However, today has been a much better day. A lot more air traffic controllers are coming in."

Still, thousands of flights have been canceled since the Department of Transportation ordered airlines to reduce operations at 40 major airports nationwide beginning Nov. 7. Those reductions were originally set to climb to 10% by Friday, but Duffy said the agency may ease that rate as safety allows and the government reopens.

"When that data changes, we're going to start taking that down from 6%, maybe we’ll go to four, two, and get back to normal air travel," Duffy said. "It depends on controllers coming back to work."

According to FlightAware, almost 1,000 U.S. flights were canceled on Thursday, significantly down from over 2,400 cancellations on Monday and nearly 3,000 on Sunday.

When will flight cuts cease?

The Department of Transportation has not provided a specific end date, but Duffy said the rollback will be gradual. The Federal Aviation Administration is still short about 2,000 air traffic controllers, and retirements have accelerated — up to 15 to 20 a day compared with four before the shutdown, according to Duffy.

"This weekend we had to slow down the entire country's airspace," Frank McIntosh, the FAA's deputy chief operating officer, said at the news conference on Tuesday. "That forced massive cancellations and delays. It's not sustainable — not for controllers, not for technicians, and not for the American public."

Even once the government reopens, experts say it may take one to three days for airlines to fully reposition planes, crews, and maintenance schedules.

What travelers can expect this weekend

Although flight cancellations have eased, delays are likely to remain, especially at major hubs such as New York, Chicago, and Atlanta.

Travel expert Tiffany Funk, co-founder and president of point.me, cautioned that this is "not the week to take a multi-connection itinerary with your family." She added: “Nothing is likely to be on time, and you need to build that into your plans and your mindset."

Although two weeks away, Duffy called Thanksgiving "the Super Bowl of air traffic controlling" and said the system "could not be under more pressure."

Are airline waivers still in effect?

Most U.S. carriers — including American, Delta, United and Southwest — continue to offer travel waivers for affected flights through at least Nov. 13, allowing travelers to cancel or rebook without penalty. Some are also offering refunds even on nonrefundable tickets.

If your flight is canceled outright, you’re entitled to a full refund rather than a travel credit, according to the Department of Transportation. But travelers looking to change their plans should act fast — seats on remaining flights are filling up quickly.

For now, Duffy said, safety remains the top priority. "Some might argue we didn’t cancel enough flights," he said. "We’re at 6% reductions right now, but every decision we make is data-driven — safety first, convenience second."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are flights still being canceled? What to expect this weekend.

Reporting by Zach Wichter, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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