airports

How will the U.S. government shutdown mess with travel?

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If the U.S. government shutdown continues, there could be trouble for travelers and the U.S. travel and tourism economy on multiple fronts.

Trouble at airports and in the skies

For now, airports and airlines are continuing to operate as normal and are issuing reassurances that they are.

But if the shutdown continues, air travelers should be prepared for long security and customs lines and canceled or delayed flights.

Air traffic controllers, TSA officers and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staff are considered ‘essential workers’ and are required to work during the shutdown.

But they won’t be getting paid. And, as the last government shutdown dragged on, the strain of working under those conditions caused many of those workers to call in sick, take on other jobs or just not show up for their shifts.

TSA says it has stopped actively managing its website and social media accounts during the lapse in federal funding.

However, before stepping away, the agency stated on X (formerly Twitter) that approximately 61,000 of its 64,000 employees are considered excepted or exempt, and that TSA will continue operations.

“The remaining employees will be temporarily furloughed,” it added.

In a pre-shutdown release, the Airline trade group, Airlines for America, warned that while “aviation is the safest mode of transportation, to maintain that during the shutdown, “the system may need to slow down, reducing efficiency.”

The U.S. Transportation Department is furloughing more than 11,000 employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association notes that in addition to air traffic controllers working without pay, the shutdown means that approximately 2,350 aviation safety professionals that NATCA represents, including aircraft certification engineers and aerospace engineers, are furloughed.

“Critical safety support, operational support, and modernization work will stop,” says NATCA.

Glacier National Park visitors 1960

Closures of museums and National Parks

Elsewhere, Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. are closed.

A message from the National Park Service says that “National parks remain as accessible as possible during the federal government shutdown. However, some services may be limited or unavailable.”

The agency has posted some closure alerts on its website and has more details in its contingency plan document. But be prepared to find visitor centers, historic buildings and other staffed facilities in any National Parks that remain open to be inaccessible.

There are state and local efforts around the country to keep individual parks and monuments open.

For example, Colorado is offering to help keep its eight National Park properties open. The South Dakota tourism office says many of its National Park sites remain open, including Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore. However, visitor centers and guided tours are unavailable.

And the Interior Department announced plans to keep the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island open in New York.

In general, the rule of thumb for travelers during this shutdown is to be flexible, check – and check again – on the status of any place you hope to visit and hope that this mess gets resolved quickly.

Because in addition to the disruptions individual travelers may be dealing with, Tourism Economics estimates that the travel economy is at risk of losing $1 billion a week due to disruptions in air and rail travel and the closure of national parks and museums. 

Everyone can be a VIP at the airport. If you pay.

Airport Terminals, ,

[Our story about the premiumization of airports first appeared on NBC News]

Pittsburghers are so excited to see the new $1.7 billion airport terminal that Pittsburgh International Airport is opening this fall that 18,000 of them applied for 2,000 test day slots even before the date was set.

The lucky volunteers chosen to drive to the airport and fly nowhere will be among the first “passengers” to pass under the soaring wood ceiling dotted with more than 4,000 constellation lights and grab some fresh air while enjoying a snack on one of the four pre- and post-security outdoor green terraces.

They’ll be greeted by Alexander Calder’s reinstalled 28-foot-long hanging mobile, which is named for the city. Then they will make their way through a facility powered by the airport’s own microgrid and staffed by some employees whose kids spend their days playing at the airport’s on-property day care center.

In addition to being more efficient and high-tech, the new terminal is designed to “elevate the passenger experience,” said airport CEO Christina Cassotis. 

Airports everywhere are undergoing makeovers, amplifying VIP-style services and other amenities that offer travelers expanded options for their journey. Airlines are installing premium cabin upgrades, and lounge spaces are getting larger and snazzier. 

(Courtesy Port of Portland – Emma Peter)

Airports upgrading seemingly everywhere

Portland International Airport’s (PDX) new main terminal opened in late 2024 with a speakeasy, regular visits from therapy llamas and a soaring 9-acre wood-beamed ceiling that inspired a rap song.

(courtesy JFKIAT)

The $19 billion makeover underway at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York includes two new terminals and modernizations of two existing terminals. New Terminal One, which will be JFK’s largest terminal, will open in phases beginning in 2026 and include more than 300,000 square feet of dining, retail, lounge and recreational space.

Partners building JFK’s $4.2 billion Terminal 6, also set to open in phases starting in 2026, say travelers will find a “digital-first, boutique guest experience.”

The recent $1.5 billion transformation of JFK Terminal 4, currently the airport’s largest terminal, is “distinctive, personalized and not cookie-cutter,” said Belinda Jain, vice president, Customer Experience & Commercial at Terminal 4 operator JFKIAT. Its commercial offerings are intended to reflect life in New York, with regular pop-ups and eight lounges, including Capital One’s largest lounge to date. 

While many airport upgrades reflect expected growth in passenger traffic and some long-delayed infrastructure investments, the “premiumization” of many services and the flurry of new lounges may be a response to airports being – or feeling – more crowded. Travelers have been willing to open their wallets to improve their experience and feel “special.”

To lounge or not?

 At many airports, the experience on the concourse is nice enough that you don’t need to access a lounge to have robust Wi-Fi, power outlets, comfortable seating, pleasant surroundings and plentiful concessions, said travel analyst Henry Harteveldt, president and founder of Atmosphere Research. 

Yet 14% of the 5,000 U.S. airline passengers his group surveyed earlier this year said they have ongoing access to airport lounges through paid memberships, qualifying credit cards or flights, and spend status with an airline, said Harteveldt.

“We all want something that not everybody else has. And these lounges also appeal to the innate snob in all of us. In some cases, the lounges are above the general concourse area, meaning you are literally looking down on the people in the main terminal area,” said Harteveldt.

In a recent survey of more than 10,000 global travelers who take two or more trips a year, airport lounge operator Airport Dimensions found that 66% of U.S. travelers said they’d be willing to purchase premium services such as priority check-in, fast-track lanes, paid waiting areas and lounges access to improve their airport experience.

The survey found that so-called affluent leisure travelers were significantly more willing to pay for those premium services than others. These travelers, also known as ALTs, are defined as taking three more trips a year and their propensity to spend at airports.

“These are people traveling by choice, not just necessity,” said Chris Gwilliam, Airport Dimensions’ senior vice president of Global Business. “And they are willing to spend when the experience feels worth it.”

Those with big budgets who want an even more premium experience can access luxury terminals when flying commercial from some airports.

Going private at commercial airports

PS, which opened a private, gated terminal for affluent travelers at Los Angeles International Airport in 2017, opened a second location at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in 2023. It plans openings for airports in Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami in 2026.

Services include private security screening, on-site customs and immigration facilities, spa services, chef-prepared meals, private suites or shared private lounge access and chauffeur service to the airplane. Fees range from $1295 for individual access to close to $5,000 for a private suite for up to four travelers.

Demand for private travel experiences has skyrocketed since the pandemic along with the general desire to splurge on travel, said Amina Belouizdad Porter, CEO of PS. “It’s a trend that we have benefited from.”

Even non-affluent fliers are ponying up.

Concierge services for every budget

SkySquad is a service that expedites check-in and escorts travelers from the curb to the gate for prices ranging from $79 (walk-up) to $149 (pre-booked) for up to six people at a growing number of airports, The Bethesda, Maryland-based company had its busiest month ever in December at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), where the company can only service customers of Spirit Airlines, an ultra-low-cost carrier.

“We helped over 2,900 groups at FLL that month, which shows that travelers across all price points value a VIP experience,” said company founder Julie Melnick.

There are other widely available ways to get preferential treatment. The expedited screening lane accessible with TSA Precheck is available at more than 200 airports. Pricing varies by enrollment provider, but can be around $85. For $209 a year, travelers can join CLEAR+ and cut to the front of the security checkpoint line at more than 59 airports.

“Travel is hard, and it’s only getting harder,” said Annabel Walsh, CLEAR’s senior vice president for marketing. Services like CLEAR’s, she said, give travelers “a faster, more predictable, premium experience when they need it most.”

 

Do you love the scent of the airport?

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Have you ever wished that you or your home would smell just like your favorite airport or airline?

It’s not such a far-fetched idea.

Back in 2012, we saw the debut of a line of 19 city-centric scents named for their airport city codes — CDG (Paris), LHR (London), DXB (Dubai) — and packaged in slender bottles with labels that looked like baggage tags, bar codes and all.

The Scent of Departure line no longer seems to exist, but it seemed like a charming travel souvenir.

Linking scents with airports – and airlines – is still a thing.

In mid-January Air France introduced a signature fragrance now being spritzed in its La Première (first class) lobby, a handful of lounge areas at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and onboard aircraft in the La Première suites.

Named AF001 as a nod to the Concorde flights that traveled between New York and Paris in the late 1970s, the bespoke scent will soon waft through other Air France lounges in Paris and around the world.

What does AF001 smell like?

According to Air France, it has a “comforting, musky scent, combined with mimosa from the south of France” that adds “a sunny, natural vibrancy.”

Air France may have the newest bespoke fragrance in the skies, but as we shared in a story we first wrote for The Points Guy site, there are other airlines and airports with their own special scents.

Dubai-based Emirates worked with Irish brand Voya on a bespoke Eau de Toilette fragrance used on flights in First and Business Class.

Singapore Airlines signature scent is called Batik Flora and was created by Singapore-based Scent by SIX. The fragrance draws its floral notes from the six flowers in the batik motif featured on the airline’s uniforms.

Singapore’s Changi Airport also has its own signature fragrance, called Changi Scent, which smells like orchid, geranium, mint, citrus and Asian spices.

And Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific worked with Australian scent marketing agency Air Aroma on a signature scent that features lavender, jasmine, bamboo, juniper berry, tea leaves, white musk and cedarwood.

Tampa International Airport (TPA) wanted a fragrance that could reflect the Tampa Bay Region. They settled on Scent Air’s “Bamboo Tea,” which has notes of green Bergamot (an Italian citrus fruit), Jasmine, Neroli (the blossom of the bitter orange tree), Musk and Tree Moss.

Smelled any good airports? Let us know.

Post Hurricane Milton, airports reopening & flights resuming. Cautiously.

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(Map courtesy Weather.com)

Florida residents are just starting to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. As they do, airports that had closed for the storm’s duration are reopening.

Airlines are resuming some flights, but anyone flying to or from the region should check with their airline for updates. In many cases travel alerts and change fee waivers have been extended for travel originally scheduled through October 12.

Here are some of the airport updates as of late Thursday evening.

After assessing the damage to its facilities, Tampa International Airport (TPA) announced plans to reopen at 8 A.M on Friday morning.

Orlando International Airport suspended operations Wednesday and will resume some flight operations on Friday as well.

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) closed Tuesday afternoon after the last flight departed and remains closed “until further notice,” according to a Facebook post on Thursday.

Miami International Airport (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) are open, but there are still many flight delays.

Airports and airlines are cool with heat waves

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Extreme heat makes flying harder. Airlines and airports say they aren’t sweating it.

(This is a slightly different version of a story we wrote for NBC News )

It’s been another summer of record-smashing temperatures and record-smashing air travel.

Airports and airlines say they can handle both.

U.S. airlines expect to carry 271 million passengers across the globe this summer, up 6.3% from last season, according to the trade group, Airlines for America.

Carriers have added flights and seats to accommodate the uptick. It comes in a year when the Earth had its hottest June ever. Last week there were two days in a row with record-breaking planetary heat records.

Nevertheless, the aviation industry is adjusting to “a new normal” of scorching temperatures during the busy summer travel period, said Kevin Burke, president and CEO at Airports Council International – North America.

So far, airports have managed “to adapt to these conditions” by working with airlines to tackle safety risks and operational challenges, he said.

The U.S. Department of Transportation tracks “extreme weather” delays caused by conditions like tornadoes, blizzards or hurricanes but not those due to heat. And while the share of delay minutes caused by weather overall has declined in the last few decades, heat-related snags have been turning up in recent years.

In July 2022, a scorching heat wave in Europe caused runway damage at London’s Luton Airport, briefly suspending flights. In June the year before, Alaska Airlines canceled and delayed flights due to record-breaking heat that had raised tarmac temperatures to 130 degrees Fahrenheit in Seattle and Portland and affected operations in California, Texas, Arizona and Louisiana. Ground crews were offered to take breaks in air-conditioned “cool down vans.”

In Las Vegas, which is seeing record-high temperatures again this summer, officials at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) say the larger, heavier aircraft used for long-haul flights can have a harder time taking off.

It’s physics: “Airplanes perform better aerodynamically at cool temperatures when the air is denser,” said Patrick Smith, a pilot and founder of “Ask the Pilot,” an air travel blog. Very hot weather reduces aircraft engines’ thrust, requiring a longer runway to achieve liftoff and gain altitude.

To address that challenge in Vegas, “the air traffic control tower will institute a configuration change for takeoffs to the east, which avoids the mountainous terrain,” said LAS spokesperson Amanda Mazzagatti. “That configuration can cause slight delays for departures as it reduces the number of takeoffs per hour,” she said.

High temperatures sometimes require aircraft to reduce their weight before getting up in the air by shedding baggage, fuel or even people, said Robert Thomas, an assistant professor at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Making these adjustments before takeoff “can also cause delays and anger passengers,” he conceded.

High heat can pose mechanical challenges, Smith said. “Engines also are subject to internal temperature limits beyond which operation isn’t permitted, and when it’s really hot outside these limits are easier to exceed. I expect it to happen more frequently as climate change causes more extreme weather events, including extreme heat waves.”

But in Phoenix this year, where temperatures have soared well into the 100s this month, officials at Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) insist they’re “well prepared for Arizona summers,” with runways that can accommodate takeoffs and landings in hot conditions.

Preparations for the summer weather begin each spring, said airport spokesperson John Trierweiler. Aviation department employees take a mandatory heat-safety course, and this year PHX added a video on the subject for all airport staffers, he said. During extreme heat, the airport urges employees to stay hydrated, take frequent breaks, and, if they’re working outdoors, to cool off inside every hour.

Southwest Airlines said it has things under control even though severe heat is “arriving earlier and persisting throughout the summer” at Sun Belt airports where the carrier has a large presence, said spokesperson Chris Perry.

Like other airlines, Southwest keeps planes cool by running air conditioning on the ground and asking passengers to close window shades and open overhead air vents upon arrival.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines also asks passengers to take these steps, said spokesperson Drake Castaneda.

When cabins get uncomfortably hot, employees can pause boarding and wait until it cools down, even if that means a delay, he said.

Perry said Southwest hasn’t experienced any widespread heat-related delays or cancellations lately, but he acknowledged reports of exploding soda cans due to high temperatures.

“We’re aware of the issue and have been taking steps to keep onboard beverages cooler,” he said.

High temperatures are also pushing airports and carriers to adjust their ground operations and upgrade infrastructure, ACI-NA’s Burke said. Some airports are installing “smart glass” to reduce solar heat transmission into terminals, replacing aging central plant equipment with higher-efficiency technologies and improving electrical power systems.

Carriers are also paying attention to pets. Delta, Southwest and United Airlines don’t allow pets to travel in cargo holds any time of year. Alaska and American do, but there are summertime restrictions.

Alaska Airlines, which has year-round breed restrictions for short-nosed dogs and cats, only allows pets to travel when the weather at both the departure and arrival cities is between 45 and 85 degrees. For much of this summer, Alaska isn’t accepting pets in baggage compartments on flights arriving or departing between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. at more than two dozen airports. 

American Airlines also imposes breed restrictions year-round and doesn’t accept pets as cargo whenever temperatures surpass 85 degrees. From May 1 through September 30, the airline also prohibits pets in cargo on flights originating, connecting or terminating in Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas or Palm Springs, California.

“If we find that temperatures become unsafe during travel,” the carrier tells customers, “we’ll take your pet to a local kenneling facility — at no charge — for a comfort stop to play, eat and sleep until temperatures return to a safe range.”

(Photo up top courtesy U.S. National Archives, via Flickr Commons)