Since October 1, there has been a shutdown of the federal government in the US, which leads to a severe shortage ofTransportation Security Agency (TSA) workers and air traffic controllers, who have been working without pay since then, and many do not come to work at all. The situation means that for over a month there have been delays at the various airports across the US, huge queues and various safety incidents. For example, recently there have been quite a few incidents where planes collided on the ground.
Now, when the Thanksgiving holiday is approaching (11.27), The American Travel Association sent a letter to Hall warning of the dangers that could arise on a day when masses of Americans are expected to fly and visit their families: “As Thanksgiving, the busiest travel time of the year, approaches, the consequences of the continued shutdown will be immediate, felt by millions of American travelers, and will be economically devastating to communities in every country,” it said.
The witness wrote that the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving, as well as the Sunday after, are usually among the busiest travel days of the year and are expected to be huge chaos. “As the manpower shortage worsens, airport wait times lengthen and flight delays and cancellations become more frequent, it may disrupt the travel plans of many families across the country. Now is the time to show leadership and prevent a Thanksgiving travel crisis.”
Meanwhile, the vice president, J.D. Vance, told White House reporters last week that Thanksgiving travel “could be a disaster.”
“Many questions will be asked in the coming days”
As you may recall, the shutdown began due to an impasse between Democratic and Republican lawmakers regarding the extension of health insurance subsidies. As a result, many government employees are not getting paid and the Minister of Transportation, Sean Duffy, said that some air traffic controllers, for example, do not come to work because they have to find another place that actually pays them.
Thus, found About 10 percent of TSA employees reported being absent, leading to long hours of disruption at ports across the country. In addition, recruitment and training of new air traffic controllers has been halted, exacerbating the existing shortage of approximately 2,800 controllers across the United States.
Just this morning there was a fatal plane crash, during which 3 crew members and four other people who were on the ground were killed. The causes of the accident are still being investigated, but there have already been claims that they were caused, among other things, by the lack of flight controllers and security personnel. “There will be many questions being asked in the coming days by the National Transportation Safety Board about exactly what went wrong,” Sky USA correspondent David Blevins said.
What is recommended for travelers?
- Prepare for longer waiting times at airport security checks.
- Expect flight delays and cancellations.
- Be flexible with plans, especially for national parks and sites.
- Follow updates from aviation providers and government authorities.
- Spend extra time on domestic and international connecting flights.
- Passport and visa services continue, but there may be delays.