Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
What Air Travelers Should Know About Government Shutdown
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
January 8, 2019

Share

DALLAS — The partial government shutdown is starting to affect air travel.
Over the weekend, some airports had long lines at checkpoints, apparently caused by a rising number of security officers calling in sick while they are not getting paid.

Over the weekend, some airports had long lines at checkpoints, apparently caused by a rising number of security officers calling in sick while they are not getting paid.
Safety inspectors aren’t even on the job. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said Monday that inspectors are being called back to work on a case-by-case basis, with a priority put on inspecting airline fleets.
So far, the impact of the shutdown — entering its 18th day on Tuesday — has been most visible for some government buildings and national parks being closed, and trash piling up on the National Mall in front of the Capitol. If the shutdown continues, food stamp recipients will go without aid.
By increasingly affecting air travel, however, the pain is being felt more widely.
Here are some common questions about the shutdown’s impact on airports and travel, along with the answers:

Who Is Supposed to Keep Working?

About 10,000 air traffic controllers who work for the Federal Aviation Administration and about 51,000 Transportation Security Administration officers have been told to keep reporting to work because they are deemed essential. Those workers at airport checkpoints, control towers and FAA radar stations aren’t being paid.

Are They Showing Up?

TSA admits that more screeners are calling in sick at some airports, including Dallas-Fort Worth International. It gave few numbers but issued a statement Friday saying that more have been missing work since the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The TSA said the effect was “minimal.”
Then over the weekend, travelers reported longer checkpoint lines at some airports, including LaGuardia in New York. On Monday, TSA tweeted that agents screened 2.22 million passengers nationwide on Sunday, which it called a “historically busy day due to holiday travel.” TSA said only about 220,000 travelers waited at least 15 minutes at checkpoints, while 0.2 percent — fewer than 5,000 — waited at least 30 minutes.

How Will TSA Respond to No-Shows?

TSA spokesman Jim Gregory said officials are managing. “If we don’t have appropriations by midweek or so, (officers) will miss their first paycheck. That’s obviously where it becomes more difficult,” he said.
Gregory said the agency has a team of officers who can go to airports facing a shortage, a tactic developed in case natural disasters prevented screeners from getting to work.

What About Traffic Controllers?

About 1,900 air traffic controllers — nearly one in every five — are eligible to retire right now and it’s not clear how many of them will stick around. They won’t get paychecks later this week despite working over the holidays.
“I don’t know how long they’re going to stay on the job if they’re not getting a paycheck,” said Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
There is an even larger group of recently hired trainees and apprentices and Rinaldi said the prospect of a long shutdown could lead some of them to take other jobs.

Will a Shortage of Controllers Lead to Flight Delays?

The largest pilots’ union wrote to President Donald Trump last week urging a quick end to the shutdown, which it said was threatening the safety of the nation’s airspace.
Rinaldi, the controllers’ leader, said safety is not being compromised, but that capacity to manage traffic could be reduced, leading to flight delays. Others see that as less likely.
“It would have to get pretty bad before the government said (to airlines), ‘Hey, start scaling back your plans for service,'” said Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst. “You could see that in a worst-case scenario.”
An early test of the air traffic system could come around the Feb. 3 Super Bowl in Atlanta, when an influx of corporate jets and private planes will further crowd the sky above the nation’s busiest airport. Planning for handling that traffic has been put on hold, Rinaldi said.

Who Has Been Furloughed?

Workers who aren’t deemed essential. That ranges from technicians who maintain equipment used in airport towers to clerical staff. Federal aviation safety inspectors have also been furloughed.

So Who Is Inspecting Planes?

FAA spokesman Gregory Martin said the agency has been recalling inspectors for certain jobs including assignments at the airlines, as it did in previous government shutdowns.

“We’re going to continue to prioritize with the resources that we have. Our focus is on the commercial air carriers and volumes of people they carry.” — FAA spokesman Gregory Martin
“We’re going to continue to prioritize with the resources that we have,” Martin said. “Our focus is on the commercial air carriers and volumes of people they carry.”
Martin did not say how many inspectors are working or how the number of inspections being done compared with pre-shutdown levels.
Chuck Banks, one of those furloughed inspectors, said colleagues are being called in when an airline needs something, like a plane certified for flight. The routine, normal oversight of operations at airlines and repair shops is not being done, leaving companies to regulate themselves, he said.
“Do you like the fox watching the hen house?” he said. “Every day the government stays shut down, it gets less safe to fly.”

What Other Government Services Are Affected?

The National Transportation Safety Board is delaying accident investigations and hearings. While there have not been any fatal airline crashes, the board has delayed other investigations, including an examination of a Florida highway accident that killed five children on their way to Walt Disney World.
NTSB representatives did not answer phone calls or reply to emails Monday. A recorded message for the public affairs office said nobody would respond until the shutdown ends.
Some people who applied for Global Entry, a program that lets travelers get expedited clearance into the U.S., have had interviews canceled. Gary Leff, who writes about travel on his View from the Wing blog, said that some airports are still processing applications.
The program is run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Spokespeople at the agency did not respond for comment.

DON'T MISS

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

DON'T MISS

French Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen Barred From Seeking Office for 5 Years

DON'T MISS

I Will Force Votes on Blocking Arms Sales to Israel: Sen. Bernie Sanders

DON'T MISS

Man Faces Life in Prison After Conviction for 2019 Visalia Murder

DON'T MISS

What Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Could Mean for Americans: Fareed Zakaria

DON'T MISS

A Look at Fresno City College’s New $87 Million Science Building

DON'T MISS

California Gov. Newsom Says the Democratic Brand Is ‘Toxic’

DON'T MISS

‘Trump Slump’ Looms as Foreign Visitors Rethink Travel to US

DON'T MISS

White House Weighs Helping Farmers as Trump Escalates Trade War

DON'T MISS

Torpedo-Shaped Bats Draw Attention After Yankees Hit Team-Record 9 Homers

UP NEXT

Utah Becomes the First State to Ban Fluoride in Public Drinking Water

UP NEXT

Wilmer Flores’ 3-Run Homer in the 9th Inning Propels Giants to Victory Over Reds

UP NEXT

Democrats’ Popularity Plummets, yet Midterm Prospects Remain Strong

UP NEXT

USDA Explores Why US Egg Shortage Contrasts with Canada’s Abundant Supply

UP NEXT

Cuts Leave Social Security System in Disarray With Millions Affected

UP NEXT

Hyundai to Build $5.8B Steel Mill in Louisiana, Creating 5,400 Jobs

UP NEXT

Supreme Court Backs Biden’s Ghost Gun Regulation Requiring Serial Numbers, Background Checks

UP NEXT

Trump Signs Order Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Vote

UP NEXT

Former Utah Rep. Mia Love Dies. She Was 1st Black Republican Woman Elected to US House

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Block Rehiring of Fired Federal Workers

Man Faces Life in Prison After Conviction for 2019 Visalia Murder

2 hours ago

What Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Could Mean for Americans: Fareed Zakaria

2 hours ago

A Look at Fresno City College’s New $87 Million Science Building

3 hours ago

California Gov. Newsom Says the Democratic Brand Is ‘Toxic’

3 hours ago

‘Trump Slump’ Looms as Foreign Visitors Rethink Travel to US

3 hours ago

White House Weighs Helping Farmers as Trump Escalates Trade War

3 hours ago

Torpedo-Shaped Bats Draw Attention After Yankees Hit Team-Record 9 Homers

3 hours ago

Silver Fire Grows to 1,250 Acres, Threatens Homes in Inyo County

4 hours ago

3 Kids Killed in Michigan When Tree Hits Vehicle During Weekend Storm

4 hours ago

March Madness Guide: All No. 1 Seeds in Final Four After Houston and Auburn Win

4 hours ago

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

Abad Sandoval Gonzalez said he did nothing wrong when he donned a vest that police later said was meant to look like law enforcement and ent...

8 minutes ago

8 minutes ago

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen poses prior to an interview on the evening news broadcast of French TV channel TF1, after a French court convicted Marine Le Pen of embezzlement and barred her from seeking public office for five years, Monday, March 31, 2025, in Boulogne-Billancourt, outside Paris. (Thomas Samson, Pool via AP)
22 minutes ago

French Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen Barred From Seeking Office for 5 Years

32 minutes ago

I Will Force Votes on Blocking Arms Sales to Israel: Sen. Bernie Sanders

A Tulare County jury convicted Isaiah Elias Garcia, 25, on Friday, March 28, 2025, of second-degree murder for fatally stabbing a man during a 2019 fight in Visalia. (Tulare County DA)
2 hours ago

Man Faces Life in Prison After Conviction for 2019 Visalia Murder

Michael Froman discusses the potential impact of Trump's proposed "Liberation Day" tariffs in an interview with Fareed Zakaria. (Video Screenshot)
2 hours ago

What Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Could Mean for Americans: Fareed Zakaria

Fresno City College students at the new Science Building
3 hours ago

A Look at Fresno City College’s New $87 Million Science Building

3 hours ago

California Gov. Newsom Says the Democratic Brand Is ‘Toxic’

A view of downtown San Diego, July 13, 2024. California is among the U.S. destinations that are ramping up marketing efforts to reassure international tourists that they are welcome. (John Francis Peters/The New York Times)
3 hours ago

‘Trump Slump’ Looms as Foreign Visitors Rethink Travel to US

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend