Normal

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Federal Aviation Administration says airlines can resume normal schedules from Monday.

Flights in the United States are set to return to normal after the country’s aviation authority announced an end to restrictions introduced during the government shutdown.

Airlines will be able to return to their normal schedules from 6am Eastern Time (11:00 GMT) on Monday after the lifting of an emergency order reducing the number of flights, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement on Sunday.

The FAA ordered reductions in flights at 40 major airports during the shutdown to ensure safety amid reports of air traffic controllers exhibiting fatigue and refusing to turn up for work.

The restrictions resulted in the cancellations of thousands of flights and delays to countless more.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a bill to resume government funding and end the shutdown, bringing to an end a six-week standoff between Republicans and Democrats.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the lifting of the order reflected a “steady decline in staffing concerns.”

Staffing triggers, which refer to instances where the number of available air traffic controllers falls below safe levels, dropped from 81 on November 8 to six on Friday, eight on Saturday and just one on Sunday, according to the aviation authority.

Under the restrictions, airlines were ordered to reduce flights by 4 percent by November 7 and 6 percent by November 10.

Officials on Friday scaled back the restrictions to 3 percent, pointing to improving staffing levels following the end of the government shutdown.

In its statement on Sunday, the FAA said it was also “reviewing and assessing enforcement options” amid reports of airlines not complying with the emergency order in recent days.

Just 149 flights were cancelled on Sunday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, well below the 3 percent cut mandated by the FAA.

WITH hotel prices soaring and all-inclusives costing a small fortune you probably think luxury holidays are a pipe dream – but some savvy Brits have found a way to jet off several times a year totally for FREE.

These women are bagging stunning holidays to pricey destinations like Las Vegas, Spain and Lapland for their families for absolutely nothing – and we’ve got their easy secrets so you can, too.

So how are they doing it? Run-of-the-mill competitions that give away everything from staycations to long-haul breaks.

These women are self-confessed ‘compers’ who have turned prize draws and social media giveaways into their tickets to dream holidays.

And while there is an element of luck, the trick is knowing where to look.

They maximise their chances through specialist groups on Facebook like Travel Competitions UK.

Free to join, this is a private group for holiday competition hunters throughout the UK to share tips and advice.

The page is also an opportunity for members to share travel competitions they’ve spotted and there are usually between 5-10 posted per day – anything from magazine comps and Instagram and Facebook shares, to comps directly from cruise companies, airlines and hotels.

Lucky Learners is another popular Facebook group for more general competitions, with 24,000 members,

It’s run by professional comper and author, Di Coke, who has also set up another paid-for members group called Lucky Legends, which provides access to a private chat forum and exclusive resources such as the compers shopping list.

A numbers game

Mum-of-two Natasha Douglas,  46, from Kent, is a member of Travel Competitions UK and has scooped several trips including not one but TWO holidays to Las Vegas – the first she won in 2019.

She says it’s primarily a numbers game.

Natasha told The Sun: “There’s no real skill involved. I just enter a lot of competitions all the time. The more you enter, the more chance you have of winning.”

Natasha and her friend used her latest holiday win to travel to Las Vegas last month – a win she secured through a newsletter sign-up with gambling.com – and the prize included a helicopter ride, show tickets and even £2,000 in spending money.

She’s also bagged a Lapland day trip on Christmas Eve, a Cornwall surf break, and a stack of UK hotel stays.

Natasha added: “Comping’s my hobby, any spare time I get, I’m entering something, but I never pay to enter.

“I’ll subscribe, share or answer a question, but it’s all free. The only downside are the spam emails! I get loads of them but it’s worth it.”

You gotta be in it to win it

Meanwhile, Lucy Davis, from Manchester is currently sunning herself in Mojácar, Spain, on her latest win.

The 47-year-old, who has one son, two stepchildren and two grandchildren, started entering competitions during lockdown.

She said: “A friend told me about the Lucky Learners site on Facebook, it’s amazing. There’s a £5 subscription for the full version, but there’s a free page too, with loads of competitions and advice.”

Since then, Lucy’s racked up an impressive list of wins.

She won a glamping break in Wales, a school-bus stay in Cornwall, a ferry trip to Amsterdam, and a city break in Liverpool, not to mention dozens of smaller prizes including shopping vouchers and restaurant meals.

Lucy told us: “I probably enter about 600 competitions a month, I usually do it late at night once the kids are in bed. I’m on Facebook, Instagram, magazines, anywhere that’s running a giveaway. You’ve got to be in it to win it!”

Lucy’s even made it onto ITV’s This Morning three years ago on a segment called ‘It’s behind You,’ where she pocketed £300 on the spot, and another £1,000 from an online prize draw.

She added: “Local Facebook pages are brilliant too. I’ve won panto tickets, Winter Wonderland entry, and even an Alton Towers trip for five.”

Mum-of-two Rachael Jones, 44, from Basingstoke, joined the Travel Competitions UK Facebook page over a year ago and now enters competitions almost every day.

Rachael said: “When I have spare time to relax, it’s something that I like to do. Fortunately my hobby paid off when I won a holiday.

“I found out in July 2024 that I had won a trip with Global and Booking.com and I had a year in to book it, so I arranged to go on my birthday in May this year.

“The prize was return flights to Malta, for four people including transfers, and two nights in a luxury apartment in Valletta.

“I also received £500 cash, which was transferred into my bank account just after I accepted the prize. My family and I had a wonderful time.”

All three women swear by Facebook groups like Lucky Learners, Late Deals Competitions, and Travel Competitions UK – and admit that while it takes time and a lot of entries, the rewards can be huge.