With the federal government reopening on Nov. 13 after the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, the nation is beginning to recover from weeks of stalled services.
One of the most visible effects of the shutdown was the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision to reduce flight operations by 10% at 40 of the country’s busiest airports, including Boston Logan, Newark Liberty, John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia.
Source: Ashley Landis, AP News
The shutdown stemmed from a budget standoff in Congress, which was largely centered around disagreements over healthcare subsidy funding. Republicans opposed maintaining current subsidy levels, while Democrats argued that reducing them would cause insurance premiums to skyrocket. Both sides failed to agree on a spending bill, resulting in a prolonged government shutdown that slowed down operations across the nation.
During the shutdown, air traffic controllers and other essential FAA employees were required to work without pay. As staffing shortages worsened, the FAA announced that a temporary reduction in flights at major airports was necessary to prevent congestion.
Political science & global affairs chair Dr. Steven Michels called the situation “reprehensible.”
“Air traffic controllers, who are considered essential workers, but don’t get paid during a shutdown, are calling off sick or quitting,” said Michels. “Congress is getting paid for not doing their jobs, while these people are forced to work or be fired.”
Logan, JFK, Newark and LaGuardia were among the hardest hit. With fewer controllers available, these airports were instructed to reduce departures and arrivals. This left travelers with fewer options, higher prices and long delays.
One Sacred Heart University student experienced the peak of the shutdown’s travel chaos firsthand. Junior Juliana Morello said her fall-break trip during the weekend of Oct. 10 to Colorado was defined by uncertainty.
“Both of my flights there and back got delayed by hours,” said Morello. “My flight to Denver originally got delayed three hours, then five hours, then one hour, back to the original three hours. The delays were so inconsistent I was sure the flight was going to be cancelled.”
Morello’s experience flying back home wasn’t any better.
“I was supposed to get home around 7:00 p.m. but I didn’t get home until around 1:00 a.m. I had to be up early the next morning so that long delay affected my future plans,” said Morello.
Even with the government reopened, the shutdown has impacted the way some students think about travel especially with the holiday season approaching.
“I almost canceled my flight to Tampa because I was scared about getting stuck there and not making it back home,” said freshman Sophia Monteforte. “Luckily, I had no issues, but it’s such a shame that others are experiencing delays and cancellations so close to the holiday season.”
As of Monday, Nov. 17, the FAA has lifted these emergency flight restrictions in response to a steady decline in staffing concerns, just in time for the holidays.
While the FAA is in the process of returning to full capacity at all major airports, the hope is that travel over the next few weeks will be far smoother than how it was during the shutdown.
