When aircraft volume goes down, a supervisor can make the decision to combine two controller positions into one position, which happens routinely, according to a source with direct knowledge.

A deadly plane crash over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. canceled flights to and from Ronald Reagan National Airport overnight. The airport reopened around 11 a.m. Thursday, as the search continues for the 64 people on board the American Airlines plane that collided with a U.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the collision, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport were halted as dive teams scoured the site and helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in a methodical search for bodies.