As the federal government shutdown enters its third week, U.S. airports are—perhaps surprisingly—operating with minimal visible disruption thus far. Security lines are moving at a normal pace, flight schedules are holding steady, and most travelers report smooth experiences at major hubs despite warnings from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Travel Association that the shutdown could snarl air traffic.
At Tampa International Airport on Wednesday, journalist and Afar contributor Susan B. Barnes reported “zero line at security for TSA,” while similar scenes played out at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport for public relations professional Adrienne Carter, at Jacksonville International Airport for brewmaster Rylie Duncan, and at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport for firefighter and EMT Chris Pavadore this week.
“I’m a frequent flier, so I notice when things are out of the ordinary pretty quickly, and in my experience, TSA security lines for PreCheck have been normal,” says Chris Dong, an aviation reporter and frequent Afar contributor who has flown multiple times since the onset of the shutdown. He added that one of his flights, from Los Angeles to New York, was delayed on the tarmac for an hour while the pilot waited for instructions from air traffic control, though the delay could have been related to other factors.
If the shutdown drags into the holiday rush, it could easily result in chaos ... If staffing levels remain strained, a single storm or tech glitch could cause nationwide ripple effects that ruin travel plans for millions.
Those travelers’ reports have been backed up by data. According to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, over the last 15 days, roughly 80 percent of flights have left the gate within 14:59 minutes of the scheduled departure (anything under 15 minutes is still considered “on time”). That percentage is consistent with non-shutdown times and is “likely due to city-specific factors, including weather and other local disruptions,” according to a Cirium spokesperson.
Indeed, a nor’easter storm along the midatlantic coast earlier this week briefly wreaked havoc on flights, resulting in thousands of flight delays.
Despite fears that a federal government shutdown would make air travel a challenge, the first stretch has been relatively calm for travelers. But some signs of tension are starting to appear at the country’s airports, beginning with the messaging surrounding the shutdown.
Airport issues: a controversial TSA video and FAA’s staffing concerns
More than a dozen airports, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and Seattle-Tacoma, have reportedly declined to play a video of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for the shutdown and any delays they may experience while traveling. Some of the airports cited policies barring politically partisan messaging as the reason.
There’s also been growing frustration among air traffic controllers, who won’t receive pay until the shutdown ends. On Tuesday, October 14, members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) handed out flyers at more than a dozen airports across the country, including LaGuardia Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The flyers warn that the ongoing shutdown is exacerbating issues caused by the nationwide air traffic controllers’ staffing shortage.
The shutdown has paused hiring and training of new controllers at a time when the country is short more than 2,800 controllers, has put infrastructure and safety technology projects on hold, and has required controllers to work long shifts without assistance from other critical aerospace organizations (air traffic control normally gets backup from outside technical groups, safety researchers at NASA, and international aviation agencies that help coordinate procedures—but many of those partnerships are effectively on pause without FAA staff at the table).
Because TSA officers, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controllers, and Customs and Border Protection agents are deemed “essential,” they are still required to report to work—even though their paychecks are on pause until the government shutdown is over.
Aviation unions have been quick to warn that this relative stability may not last if the shutdown continues long enough for workers to miss more paychecks (on October 14, TSA, FAA, and CBP employees earned partial paychecks and are expected to do without pay if the government doesn’t reopen by October 24, their next pay day). During the last prolonged shutdown in 2019—the longest in history at 35 days—large numbers of TSA agents began calling out, leading to extended security wait times at major hubs like Atlanta and Miami.
The impact on flights if the shutdown continues
Since the current shutdown began on October 1, the FAA has reported an increase in unscheduled absenteeism in cities across the country, from airports in Boston and Philadelphia, to control centers in Atlanta and Houston, which has contributed to delays and cancellations. One of the biggest disruptions so far may have been felt at Hollywood Burbank Airport on October 6 when its air traffic control tower was left unmanned for a few hours.
“We need to bring this shutdown to a close so that the Federal Aviation Administration and the committed aviation safety professionals can put this distraction aside and focus completely on their vital work,” Nick Daniels, the president of NATCA, said at a press conference on October 6.
When Afar reached out to the FAA via email for comment, an automatic reply from the agency came back stating that due to a lapse in funding, the FAA is not currently responding to media inquiries. The statement did say “there have been increased staffing shortages across the system” and “when that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations.” The agency added that concerned travelers should visit its website for real-time flight impacts at individual U.S. airports.
Travelers with upcoming flights may also want to give themselves extra time for getting through the airport, especially if the shutdown stretches on further. “Essential” status doesn’t guarantee smooth operations indefinitely—morale and staffing could shift if the standoff lingers and workers go without pay.
“It’s likely that the system can continue to paper over the cracks for a few more weeks,” Julian Kheel, CEO and travel expert at Points Path, told Afar. “But if the shutdown drags into the holiday rush, it could easily result in chaos. Thanksgiving and Christmas are already the busiest travel periods of the year, and the system runs near capacity even in normal times. If staffing levels remain strained, a single storm or tech glitch could cause nationwide ripple effects that ruin travel plans for millions.”
