Air travelers rethink plans as US government shutdown causes flight delays, cancellations

By Doyinsola Oladipo

NEW YORK (Reuters) -The federal government shutdown is hamstringing the U.S. travel industry, and its effects are worsening as the stalemate in Congress continues.

Travelers are starting to cancel trips and avoid airports until U.S. lawmakers find a way to reopen the government, which may not happen for several more days or weeks. That means a longer stretch of time for key workers - air traffic controllers and security screeners - to go without pay. More workers are calling in sick, leaving fewer staff to handle demand.

Travel representatives are already fretting about the coming Columbus/Indigenous People's Day holiday weekend, the first since the shutdown started nine days ago on October 1. The stalemate coincides with peak corporate travel season at a time when the industry is already struggling to achieve its full potential, said Geoff Freeman, president of the U.S. Travel Association.

"If we introduce concern into the system — concern about delays, concern about cancellations, concern about TSA being less efficient — we're leading people to stay in the office," Freeman said, referring to the Transportation Security Administration.

"It's another reason for people to stay home, whether it's Americans staying home or foreign travelers avoiding the United States."

The United States is the only travel market expected to see a decline in spending by foreign tourists in 2025, as inbound visits are expected to decrease 6.3% year-over-year to 67.9 million, according to data from US Travel and Oxford Economics. Domestic travel is expected to increase 1.9% this year. The outlook may be improving, as Delta Air Lines said Thursday that sales have accelerated in recent weeks.

Travelers still planning to visit the U.S. have heightened concern about what the shutdown means for their vacation.

"There is some anxiety from 'What does that mean? Does that mean that we cannot fly? Are people not able to enter the country?' All those kinds of questions are coming up," said Peter van Berkel, president of Travalco, an inbound tour operator. Some travelers abroad are now hesitant to book, van Berkel said.

Nearly 12,000 flight delays from Monday to early Wednesday were in part tied to Federal Aviation Administration slowdowns due to controller absences, while about 200 flights were canceled.

Air traffic control staffing issues have emerged sooner in this shutdown than the last major halt to government funding in 2019, leading to unexpected shortages in cities around the country. If it continues, travelers will see "erosion of service" as frustrated air traffic controllers and TSA officers get tired and call in sick, said Sheldon Jacobson, a University of Illinois professor who helped design TSA Pre-Check.

"The largest shutdown in history was 35 days in the first President Trump term. Are we going to see 35 days again? Right now, there's no evidence of it being reconciled and ended, but these things will change very, very quickly and unpredictably," he said.

Arizona-based travel agent Sonia Bhagwan said two clients have asked if they should cancel their Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations to Hawaii.

Wayne Milano, 44, of Monmouth County, New Jersey, said he canceled a business trip to India and will not fly until the stalemate is resolved. Citing bad luck with delays and cancellations, Milano told Reuters air travel is out of the question for now.

"I'm at that point where I'm like, I'm not even going to chance it for the first week or two, let's just see how things play out."

(Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Richard Chang)