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25.09.2023 - 21:39 / thepointsguy.com / Pete Buttigieg
A government shutdown looms as Congress remains in gridlock over extending funding past a major deadline.
If a shutdown were to happen, most federal agencies would stop work, and most government workers would be furloughed, save for those who work in agencies deemed as "essential services" such as Social Security and Medicare.
Also considered essential: most of the federal workers involved with air travel.
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While travel for Americans probably wouldn't be heavily affected by a government shutdown, the shutdown would still have significant consequences for the travel industry.
The U.S. economy could lose about $140 million a day during a government shutdown, according to the U.S. Travel Association, partly from longer wait times at airports and deferred modernization projects. Additionally, processing times for passports, visas and Global Entry could take longer. This could lead visitors to postpone or cancel travel plans.
Flyers may also deal with more delayed flights and longer screening times.
A poll from market research and consulting firm Ipsos and the U.S. Travel Association found that 60% of Americans would avoid or cancel air travel during a government shutdown.
If the government shutdown were to turn into a long-term one, travelers could expect to see even more hiccups.
Museums like those affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution will be closed during a government shutdown, and it is unclear if national parks will close.
During past government shutdowns, national parks have remained open to visitors; however, as most workers were furloughed, national parks became filled with litter and experienced overflowing toilets. Visitors even vandalized some of the property.
As for air travel, agencies like the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration are considered to be essential services. So, airport security workers and air traffic controllers will still be required to work, even though they will not receive paychecks until the shutdown eventually ends.
However, absenteeism could present a significant challenge for these two agencies, and the FAA has already been struggling with labor shortages during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Reuters.
During a government shutdown in 2019, 10 air traffic controllers called in sick, which led to a temporary shutdown at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and delays at airports in Philadelphia, Newark and Atlanta. That ultimately led to an end of the shutdown.
Another thorn for the FAA during a government shutdown: It would have to pause training new air traffic controllers, something Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said would come at
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A Canadian man who is stuck in Israel said the Canadian Embassy in the country hasn't provided any assistance to him.Robbie Segall, who moved to Tel Aviv in August for an internship, told Insider that he was redirected to an emergency hotline when he called the embassy Sunday. A representative told him that it was closed over the weekend and was shut on Monday because of Canadian Thanksgiving.
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.
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Following a summer of landmark picketing, negotiating and deal-reaching for some of America's pilots' unions, flight attendants are moving into the spotlight. Some groups of cabin crew are weighing a strike as they call for substantial salary increases and better working conditions.
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.
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.
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.