US: Travel industry fears damage from a long govt shutdown

The partial govt shutdown — the longest ever — has thinned the ranks of federal workers who staff airport security lines. And some travellers had braced for the worst. The scene at most of the nation's airports has so far been marked more by concerned passengers showing up early than by missed flights. Longer lines are evident at some airports. But delays resulting from a rise in federal security screeners calling in sick have been slight. Yet concern is quickly growing. President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress remain far apart over Trump's insistence on funding for a wall along the Mexican border as the price of reopening the govt. With the two sides avoiding talks, travel industry analysts and economists have been calculating the potential damage should the shutdown drag into February or beyond. <br/>