As the 2025 federal government shutdown stretches into its second month, the impacts on air travel are becoming increasingly visible. While the U.S. aviation system remains operational, mounting staffing shortages and delayed federal oversight are producing measurable disruptions for travelers and airlines alike.
Controller & Screen-Staffing Shortfalls
With the federal government lacking a full budget, thousands of essential aviation workers — including roughly 13,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air-traffic controllers and around 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers — are performing duties without pay.
According to the FAA, nearly half of the 30 busiest U.S. airports reported controller absences severe enough to trigger internal staffing alerts. At one facility
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