What a government shutdown could mean for air travel

A government shutdown is looming just as the peak holiday travel season gets underway. Lawmakers have been at an impasse and on Thursday voted down a short-term bill, which was backed by President-elect Donald Trump, to continue to fund the U.S. government. A shutdown could begin as early as 12:01 a.m. ET on Saturday if no deal is reached. Hundreds of thousands of government employees would be furloughed if Congress fails to pass a spending bill. A government shutdown could cost the U.S. travel industry $1b per week, estimated the U.S. Travel Association, which represents major hotel groups and others. “It’s hard to see how anyone in Congress wins if they force TSA workers, air traffic controllers, and other essential employees to work without pay during one of the busiest travel periods of the year,” Geoff Freeman, the group’s president, said in a statement on Friday. Commercial airplanes are still scheduled to fly, even given the chance of a shutdown. Airlines are forecasting the busiest year-end holiday season on record. The Transportation Security Administration expects its officers to screen more than 40m people during the holidays through Jan. 2. United Airlines alone said it will fly 9.9m people between Dec. 19 and Jan. 6, up 12% over last year. The government deems the more than 14,000 air traffic controllers and close to 60,000 TSA agents essential, which means they would continue working, though they wouldn’t be paid during the shutdown.<br/>