Despite shutdown, flights and security screening go on at Atlanta’s airport
Flights, security screening and other airport operations continued normally at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Wednesday, the first day of the federal government shutdown.
Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration screeners who are deemed essential are continuing to work through the shutdown, albeit without pay until government reopens.
“At this time, airport operations remain normal,” Hartsfield-Jackson, the world’s busiest airport, said in a statement Wednesday. “We continue to work closely with our federal partners to ensure that critical functions are maintained, and we are prepared to address any challenges that may arise.”
“I noticed nothing different,” said passenger Sam LeBeau, who flew into Atlanta on Wednesday morning from Charlottesville, Virginia.
On what is typically one of the slowest travel days of the week, traffic was light and LeBeau said his security line was “really short.”
But some turbulence could emerge, experts said.
“The longer a shutdown drags on, the more likely we are to see longer TSA lines, flight delays and cancellations, national parks in disrepair and unnecessary delays in modernizing travel infrastructure,” Geoff Freeman, CEO of industry group U.S. Travel Association, said in a statement. The group also said an Ipsos survey showed 60% of Americans said they would cancel or avoid trips by air in the event of a shutdown.
Air traffic control and some other Federal Aviation Administration functions will remain through the shutdown, including controller hiring and training, maintenance and operation of navigational aids, safety inspections and accident investigations, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s most recent contingency plan, dated Tuesday.
The Department of Homeland Security, of which TSA is a part, posted in its contingency plan that activities to continue during a shutdown include those necessary for safety, law enforcement, passenger processing and cargo inspections at ports.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association union on Wednesday called for an end to the shutdown.
The union noted that although its air traffic controllers are required to continue working without pay during a shutdown, more than 2,300 other aviation safety professionals it represents are furloughed — including aerospace engineers and aircraft certification engineers.
“When the federal government shuts down it introduces unnecessary distractions and our entire aviation system is weakened,” NATCA President Nick Daniels said in the statement.
Some controllers are already working mandatory overtime requiring 10-hour shifts six days a week, according to NATCA.
“The increased stress and fatigue that comes from working long hours without pay cannot be overstated,” Daniels said.
If the shutdown continues for longer than a couple of weeks, it means those workers could go unpaid on pay day. During a government shutdown nearly seven years ago, that led to gridlock and long lines at the airport because of a shortage of screening officers.
During that 35-day shutdown from December 2018 to January 2019, some workers who came under financial pressure stopped coming into work or quit as they sought other ways to bring in a paycheck and pay their bills. Weeks into that shutdown, federal workers lined up at a mobile food pantry for vegetables and chicken to feed their families.
The head of the Air Line Pilots Association, a union that represents pilots at Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines and other carriers in the U.S. and Canada, said past government shutdowns caused staffing shortages and “safety setbacks” that he called “unacceptable.”
“Our pilots depend on our partners at the (FAA), especially hardworking and dedicated air traffic controllers, to help safely shepherd us through the skies,” ALPA President Jason Ambrosi, a Delta pilot, said in a written statement earlier this week.
“A shutdown threatens the stability of the safest aviation system in the world,” he added.
In a letter sent on the eve of the shutdown, the Modern Skies Coalition of airline industry and travel groups, airline worker unions and other aviation associations, wrote that the suspension of infrastructure work for modernization causes backlogs and delays that continue “long after funding is restored.”
According to Freeman, a government shutdown could cost the nation’s travel economy $1 billion each week.
In a letter to congressional leaders last week, Freeman warned a shutdown exacerbates staffing shortages of TSA officers and air traffic controllers.
Industry group Airlines for America said in a statement aviation “is the safest mode of transportation, but to maintain that the system may need to slow down, reducing efficiency.”
When federal employees in aviation are furloughed or working without pay, “the entire industry and millions of Americans feel the strain,” it said.
“We appreciate the men and women who will be going to work, despite not receiving a paycheck, to ensure the safety and security of the traveling and shipping public,” Airlines for America said.
About the Author
As business team lead, Kelly Yamanouchi edits and writes business stories. She graduated from Harvard and has a master's degree from Northwestern.
