For every flight CiCi works as a flight attendant, she can always expect passengers to step onto the plane distracted.
29.09.2023 - 19:07 / skift.com / Pete Buttigieg
A U.S. government shutdown is looking more likely by the day as budget negotiations drag on in Congress. A shutdown would start Sunday, unless the government can reach a deal by the September 30 deadline.
Not everything stops in a government shutdown, because many employees are deemed “essential” and continue to work. That includes airport security agents, customs officials and air traffic controllers.
But the longer it goes on, the more likely it is that travelers – and the travel industry – could encounter increased hassles.
During the partial, 34-day government shutdown between late 2018 and early 2019 — the longest ever — the travel industry faced issues including garbage overflowing at national parks, long security lines at airports and flight delays.
While it is still unclear how a government shutdown would affect travel this time around, here’s how it may affect various parts of the industry.
Air traffic controllers are considered “essential” government workers, so by law they are expected to work during a government shutdown.
But that doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be an impact. Though they’ve traditionally been given back pay for their work, air traffic controllers and other “essential” employees don’t receive regular paychecks during the shutdown — an issue that only gets worse the longer it goes on.
In late January 2019, 10 air traffic controllers called off work, reported. The move prompted a ground stop at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, and ultimately led to those specialized workers being credited with helping end the shutdown altogether.
Another issue is more long-term. A shutdown would pause training of new air traffic controllers at a time when the FAA is facing a staffing shortage of about 3,000 workers.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently warned the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure that a government shutdown would halt hiring and training for air traffic controllers. This would especially affect places like the greater New York City area, which is already seeing a notable shortage of these controllers available to manage its airspace.
Just like air traffic controllers, Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) workers at airport security lines are considered “essential” employees and must continue working during a government shutdown.
Nearly 56,000 of about 59,200 TSA workers employed as of July 2022 would be retained during a government shutdown, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s latest contingency plan.
However, operational issues such as longer security lines at airports could arise if employees do not show up for work — a possibility when workers are not getting regular paychecks.
In early January 2019, reported
For every flight CiCi works as a flight attendant, she can always expect passengers to step onto the plane distracted.
When I started traveling by plane regularly about two years ago, I constantly made a big mistake: using a duffel bag as my carry-on.
A government shutdown was narrowly avoided when the deadline neared on October 01, 2023. Even though the government has remained open, the possibility of a shutdown remains as only a stopgap funding bill was passed. Should the government shutdown happen, one thing it will affect is travel, and it will be around the holidays. Here’s what you should know.
It's every tourist's nightmare—arriving on that trip in the French capital, to discover you are not the only creatures in your hotel room. This week, the deputy mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Gregoire announced that "no one was safe" and that the bed bug issue was "widespread." It begs the questions: Is it such a huge issue? Is it just Paris? And what can hoteliers and tourists do about it?
Artificial intelligence was a big topic of discussion at the Skift Global Forum in New York City. The biggest names in travel agreed: AI will create huge opportunities for how travel companies engage with their customers and also affect travel jobs. But the full impact won’t be known for years.
Time is ticking for lawmakers in Congress to strike a budget deal and avoid a government shutdown, although chances of coming to an agreement in time are looking increasingly bleak. If a shutdown does happen on October 1 at 12:01 a.m., all non-essential government functions would cease, and the air travel system would be stretched to its limit, with air traffic controllers and TSA officers essentially working without pay.
Peak fall foliage is popping in Estes Park, the mountain town just outside of Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. Soon, the elk will be bugling as part of their annual mating ritual, a wildlife spectacle that draws tourists to the mountain town for “Elktober.” Down in southern Colorado, the “ring of fire eclipse” is projected to pass directly through Mesa Verde National Park on Oct. 14, drawing tourists eager to catch the rare celestial event among the Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings.
As a government shutdown becomes increasingly inevitable this weekend, flyers may soon see longer security lines and passport wait times.
Due to the global pandemic, the United States saw a drop in international visitors. While travel has been picking up, one industry that isn’t recovering as quickly is the retail industry. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the United States is the most popular destination for retail tourism. However, with a rise in online shopping, retailers are hurting.
Most U.S. National Parks will shut down their operations if U.S. lawmakers don’t reach a deal to fund the federal government by Saturday night, the Department of Interior said Friday in a press release.
A partial shutdown of the US government is looming and it could cause disruption for travellers across the country.
Tick, tick, tick. With just one day before the end of the fiscal year, Congress appears resigned to a federal government shutdown. Should lawmakers fail to pass a funding bill, travelers could feel the impact beginning at midnight on Saturday.