Government shutdown Archives - Stuck at the Airport

Long checkpoint lines for travelers. More food pantries for unpaid TSA workers.

03/09/26

It’s Spring Break in many parts of the country and another week during which TSA employees and some other federal airport workers are going without paychecks due to the ongoing partial government shut down. The mashup of higher passenger numbers than usual at many airports and security lane closures due to short staffing is causing →

Airports

Flight restrictions lifted at all airports + more travel tidbits

11/16/25

Flights back to ‘normal,’ but flight concerns hover On Sunday, November 16, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that starting at 6 a.m. on Monday it will end all the restrictions it had put in place on commercial flights at 40 major U.S. airports. Restrictions the FAA has on space launches and on general aviation flights →

Airports

Has the goverment shutdown ruined your holiday travel plans?

11/15/25

Air travel is working its way to ‘normal’ now that the government shutdown is over and Thanksgiving travel is about to kick into high gear. Friday’s news that the Federal Aviation Administration reduced the mandate for U.S. airlines to reduce domestic flights at 40 of the nation’s airports by 6% to 3% starting Saturday will →

Holidays

U.S. government opens, but flights not yet 100%

11/12/25

Will air traffic be ‘normal’ now that the government shutdown is over? Not quite yet… The longest government shutdown is officially over. But the hassle it created for air travelers is not. The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) didn’t end the current flight reductions, which were set to go to →

Flights

Updated airline policies for change/fee waivers due to flight reduction mandate

11/11/25

And end to the government shutdown may be closer to reality. But the Federal Aviation Administration has not yet lifted mandated flight reductions at the busiest airports around the country that in place to try reduce stress on the air traffic control system. As a result, massive flight cancelations and delays are still a major →

Shutdown may be ending, but air travel still a mess

11/10/25

There seems to be progress in getting to an end of the government shutdown. But even if a deal is made today, air travel will be a mess for a quite a while. As the work week gets uderway, Flightaware is showing close to 1500 flight cancellations and more than 800 delays for Monday. Airline →

Uncategorized

Flight reductions underway. Now what?

11/06/25

On Thursday evening the Federal Aviation Administration shared more details about flight reductions around the country in response to stresses the government shutdown has placed on the national airspace system. According to the FAA, a 4 percent reduction in flight operations will begin Friday, November 7, ramping up to 6 percent by November 11, 8 →

Air Travel

Shutdown fallout: FAA will reduce air traffic by 10%. Starting Friday

11/05/25

As if air travel wasn’t stressful enough… On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation announced a decision to reduce air traffic by 10% at 40 “high-volume” markets across the country starting Friday. Unless, that is, the government shutdown concludes before then. Which could be a stretch. The FAA didn’t say which markets →

Travel tidbits from airports near you

11/05/25

A giant taco made from balloons is a wonderful object to encounter anywhere. Let alone an airport. Thank you, San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) for ‘hosting’ the taco and comedian/actor Patton Oswalt for adoring it. Airports – and a cheese company – helping unpaid federal workers A production hiccup at Oregon’s beloved Tillamook cheese factory turned →

TSA donation policy + Airports & Halloween

10/29/25

Many airports, airlines and community groups have been helping out federal workers working without pay at airports by setting up food pantries and making gift cards, diapers and other basic necessitites available. Members of the public are helping out too. And, if you’re so inclined, TSA has shared this information about the proper way to →

Holidays

Government shutdown

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