In the midst of the ongoing federal government shutdown in the United States, the U.S. Travel Association, along with hundreds of travel companies, is urging Congress to restart government operations and warning that the government closure may lead to travel chaos during the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of this month.
The U.S. federal government shutdown, which began on October 1, has now entered its sixth week, resulting in unpaid air traffic controllers and causing personnel shortages, leading to flight delays or cancellations at airports nationwide.
On Monday, November 3, the U.S. Travel Association and travel companies wrote to congressional leaders, urging the immediate passage of a “clean CR” to temporarily fund government operations at current funding levels prior to one of the busiest travel weeks of the year – the Thanksgiving holiday on November 27.
The letter cited that last year during Thanksgiving travel week, over twenty million air passengers traveled across the United States.
The travel industry warned that a prolonged government shutdown could dampen travel demand and impact the economy, noting that the U.S. travel industry has already incurred losses of $4 billion due to the government shutdown.
It emphasized in the letter, “American citizens expect and deserve a functioning federal government during peak holiday travel periods… Congress must act immediately to pass a clean continuing resolution, restart the government before the Thanksgiving travel peak, and ensure full restoration of federal government operations.”
Geoff Freeman, President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, stated that with the shutdown continuing, around sixty percent of Americans are reconsidering their travel plans.
He stressed, “Safety is the primary principle of air travel. While safety will be ensured, passengers will still incur heavy and completely unnecessary costs due to delays or cancellations, losing confidence in the air travel experience.”
The joint letter received signatures from nearly 500 travel agencies and businesses, including Hilton Group, Western States Tourism Policy Council, and International Inbound Travel Association.
Airlines for America, a trade organization representing major U.S. airlines, pointed out that flight interruptions due to shortages of air traffic controllers have affected over 3.2 million travelers.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated on Tuesday to CNBC that the U.S. air traffic control system currently lacks 2,000 to 3,000 controllers. He emphasized that if the situation is deemed unsafe, the government will close airspace entirely.
Duffy said, “The primary reason for increased flight delays and cancellations is the understaffing at our towers and Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities, which have to reduce airspace traffic flow to ensure safety. This is a necessary measure to maintain system safety.”
He added, “If safety risks are identified, we will completely close airspace, prohibiting any flight operations. But currently, we have not reached that level; it’s only severe delays.”
According to data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the effects of flight delays continue to spread to airports across the United States: on November 1, there were 4,600 reported delays and 173 cancellations, rising to 5,800 delays and 244 cancellations on November 2.
The FAA reported on October 31 that nearly half of the thirty busiest airports in the U.S. faced shortages of air traffic controllers, resulting in over 6,200 flight delays and 500 cancellations that day. In New York, approximately 80% of air traffic controllers were absent.
Overall, the travel industry is urging swift action by Congress to reopen the government to avoid further disruptions and ensure the smooth operation of travel during the upcoming holiday season.