Travel definitely will be affected in the US, especially at US airports, so get there early and be prepared to wait. During the last shutdown, TSA workers called in sick, which closed some security checkpoints and caused delays.
National parks will probably be closed, or if open, have severely reduced staffing. Below is a gifted article that explains what will probably happen and what could happen (or not).
We were supposed to head out to SW USA in a couple days to visit many national parks. I cancelled all our reservations yesterday. We'll stay closer to home and hopefully get to the Northwest Angle, finally. If this beautiful weather holds, we'll head your way to ride the Munger and Gitchi Gami.
Thanks for starting this thread Mardee. I am scheduled to fly to Greece on 10/18 and return on 11/2. I'm a seasoned traveler accustomed to European transportation strikes and being flexible. However, I have never traveled abroad during a government shutdown and I am concerned about flight cancelations primarily on my return. I read this reporting today, day one of the shutdown: "As of 9.30am ET on Wednesday, 544 flights within, into, or out of the United States have been delayed and 30 have been cancelled, according to FlightAware." I'm not sure how much of this is related to the shutdown, but we can watch for a trend.
If any forum readers see reliable reporting on impacts to international flights, please share them. Thanks.
In 2013 there was a government shutdown that began on October 1 (same as this one) and lasted 17 days. At the time I was on a road trip in Oregon. I visited the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, which is actually three separate sites (https://www.nps.gov/joda/index.htm). All were closed, with signs indicating as much, but none of them were barricaded. In two of the areas, while I was walking around, a ranger drove up and told me the park was closed. I asked if I had to leave, and what would happen if I didn't. They said they could call law enforcement and have me escorted off the grounds. I said OK thank you. They left. I didn't. No law enforcement ever came.
I imagine larger parks with gates are closed, but my trip in Oregon wasn't disrupted at all.
Incidentally, at the official National Park Service website (https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/national-park-system-operating-status.htm) this morning, it says, "There are no systemwide alerts or closures." They may still be in the process of updating the websites for the NPS and the various parks. As I recall in 2013, the websites all were taken down and replaced with a simple notice that due to the shutdown, the parks were closed.
For what it's worth- I travelled to NYC during the shutdown in December 2018. The only impact I noticed was that Hamilton Grange was shut as it's run by the National Park Service. All other flights etc were absolutely fine. This isn't intended to minimise anyone's concerns- just reassurance that the shutdown won't necessarily mean someone's travel will be disrupted.
I cancelled a trip to Boston tomorrow b/c of the shutdown. After seeing the John Singer Sargent portrait at the Scottish Museum in Edinburgh, I developed a mild obsession with Sargent and really wanted to go to the MFA and the Boston library to see a few of his works and the murals. I booked a quick two night trip - was also going to visit the Gardner again, one of my favorite museums ever.
I know TSA issues are less likely this early in the shutdown. For various reasons, including the fact that my heart was just not in it anymore given the state of the country, and that I have to travel to Maine next month to visit family and may need to drive (3 days each way) I decided to save my off work time for that possiblity and my money for another time when I feel I can enjoy Boston more.
In Washington DC:
This text appears at the top of the Smithsonian website: "Our museums, research centers, and the National Zoo are open today, and will remain open through at least Monday, October 6." The Hirshhorn (modern-art) Museum is part of the Smithsonian.
The website of the National Gallery says this: "The National Gallery of Art will be open during our normal hours through this Saturday, October 4. Check back for more updates."
I don't see a banner on the National Park Service website. I imagine the memorials will be open; they're outdoors and can be made accessible without supporting staff. The interior of the Washington Memorial is a bit iffy--the NPS in the past sometimes rushed to close it when funding issues (as opposed to government shutdowns) arose, but at this point there's no planned closure mentioned.
Well, I flew into Orange County yesterday knowing what was coming. I fly from LAX to Monterey, CA tomorrow. Then Sunday fly from Monterey back to Seattle. Husband flies Seattle to Monterey tomorrow. I’ll update with what it looks like at the various airports, I’m hoping that early on things won’t be too bad. Worse comes to worse we rent a car and drive home.
If anyone is interested in the formal contingency plan for the NPS, here it is:
https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-09/doi-nps-lapse-plan2025930508.pdf
Note that "Park websites and social media will not be maintained, except for emergency communications." I've not seen any specific closure info on the few NPS sites for some of the most-visited parks I looked at, such as Grand Canyon, Zion, Yosemite and Acadia, although they have a banner which states:
"National parks remain as accessible as possible during the federal government shutdown. However, some services may be limited or unavailable. For more information, please visit doi.gov/shutdown." That's the site from which I copy/pasted the link above.
Some of the parks suffered serious damage during previous shutdowns due to people circumventing barriers, ignoring closure signs, vandalizing fragile ecosystems, and generally taking advantage of reduced staffing. We'll see how long this lasts and how further reductions in already strained staffing affects the welfare of America's crown jewels. Same for their visitors; injure yourself and there may be no one there to come to your aid. Please stay away from parks or park areas which may close in the coming days.? :O(
No immediate travel plans, but I do have a Global Entry interview appointment in a couple of weeks. Looks like I’ll be rescheduling it.
Tours of governmental facility sites in DC (the Capitol, etc) are cancelled.
FYI--Air Traffic Controllers, TSA Agents and CBP officers are all considered vital employees and will work during the shutdown. They will also get paid--eventually.
In terms of airline flights, there are an average of 27,000 airline flights per day in the US. Approximately 1-2% get canceled and up to 25% have a delay of 15 minutes or more. So on average, 270-540 flights per day get canceled and about 6750 are delayed. And that's during "normal" times.
I have a flight back into the US on Friday, and a regional flight within the US the next day. I'm not concerned.
Air Traffic Controllers, TSA Agents and CBP officers are all considered vital employees and will work during the shutdown. They will also get paid--eventually.
Mmmm, mostly true, but…
All the above are indeed required to continue working thru any shutdown - without pay. Those who are direct federal employees will get paid eventually, but those who are contractors MAY not (and there are a lot of them). The administration has been threatening to “furlough” or lay off or outright fire some federal employees and has stated that if they’re not working, they’re not going to be paid. Still lots of unknowns. Lots of posturing going on, nobody’s happy.
I occasionally have to deal with FAA staff personally. I can share that there has been a long-standing, ongoing morale problem (I’d call it a crisis) among many FAA employees (including air traffic controllers) - and that was before they were required to work without getting paid (remember, these same people were told last spring that they should quit and might be fired eventually). This isn’t going to help.
Employees working but not getting paid often dislike doing so (surprise!). In previous shutdowns, more than a few employees called in sick as a form of protest, resulting in long lines at TSA screenings.
If this goes on a while (and there’s no sign it’s going to be settled anytime soon) things will become increasingly strained. If nothing else, I’d plan for more time when going through TSA screening. Hopefully, that’ll be the extent of any troubles.
I’m currently in Europe and fly home in about 10 days. I’m not anticipating any issues re-entering the country, but as the shutdown stretches on, I would expect at least some delays and disruptions to become unavoidable. Pack patience.
Pretty mindblowing that they expect people to come to work without getting paid. It hadn't clicked with me that was the situation.
Pretty mindblowing that they expect people to come to work without getting paid. It hadn't clicked with me that was the situation
Federal employees will get paid for their work. It will just be delayed until the shutdown is over.
Federal employees will get paid for their work. It will just be delayed until the shutdown is over.
Not really how it works over here. I know I wouldn't be getting out of bed to go to work on the promise of being paid "sometime" "maybe". Do they not have unions?
Federal employees will get paid for their work. It will just be
delayed until the shutdown is over
Some folks are in situations where they and their families are living paycheck to paycheck. As the situation right now stands, they might not have a job at all when the shutdown is over.
The agents might have to work, but their support staff won't be working. Back pay requires action in Congress - not a sure thing. And because furloughed folks get back pay for not working, it makes the people required to work unhappy. I recall the last time, when workers had to take out loans to get by, and local charities gear up for food donations. Those TSA agents get (more) surly after a while.
If this beautiful weather holds, we'll head your way to ride the Munger and Gitchi Gami.
mnannie, that would be fun! Do check the Munger Trail ahead of time, though. There's a segment that is closed till November, although there is a work-around. Here is some info: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CPdKWXGve/
With regards to the shutdown, I am hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. My flights back to the US should not be affected, but I would still be prepared if I were flying out of the US. I remember delays last time when the TSA workers started calling in sick.
I'm flying out of Dulles tonight, heading to Europe. I have GE, so can use the TSA Precheck line. I wonder if it will still be operating and as quick as normal. One more thing to stress about last minute...
Please keep us posted, KRS.
I am going to make a wild guess that the 1 October pay check is for work performed in the 2 weeks prior to 1 October, and those 2 weeks were funded, so they got paid. And that its the 15 October check that isn't yet funded. So, while they are working without knowing if they will get paid, the pain doesn't hit until 15 October. Just a W.A.G.
RE: Air traffic controllers, this piece ran on NPR last night during my commute home.
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/02/nx-s1-5560219/air-traffic-controllers-ending-government-shutdown
I flew into San Francisco airport last night. Landed just before 8PM. As we were taxiing into the gate the airport looked quiet. Not many planes waiting for takeoff or landing. There were 3 global entry kiosks and I had to wait a couple of minutes to use one. Took maybe 30 seconds to process me. Another maybe 5 minutes for the agent to get to me and clear me through. All in all a pretty easy return.
As a side note I don’t think that another international flight had recently arrived as the whole passport control area was pretty empty. So this may not be indicative of what’s typical now.
Safe and speedy travel everyone
The gate at Fort Moultrie near Charleston was closed today.
Thank you, Rachel, for the article. It makes an important point that morale going into this shutdown is already lower than 2019. That increases the likelihood of similar or worse disruptions. Every day will reveal more cracks in the system. I hope for all of our sake that safety margins truly remain the priority.
Just went through LAX terminal 7 precheck. I was the only one there. Two officers working,
I volunteer as a roving ambassador in our nice 8-gate airport. Today was business as usual, TSA was fully staffed and lines were their normal 5 minute wait. The Global Entry office was closed.
I got to Dulles early just in case things were bad. I was through TSA pre check in less than 5 minutes. The airport doesn’t seem crowded though, so that might be partially responsible.
GerryM - We have multiple unions for federal employees. We're not allowed to strike. The unions meet with administration departments and Congress to inform and to push legislation. Layoffs, retirement, pay scales, and such are written into admintrative regulations and the Code of Federal Regulations.
GerryM - We have multiple unions for federal employees. We're not allowed to strike.
That's rough man. I hope the union is doing its best in the circumstances for its members anyway. Wishing the best to everyone employed in Federal Government.
I might do a bit of reading on American labour relations sometime. I don't know much. I've taken a passing interest in United Auto Workers (edit because I got the name wrong off the top of my head) because I've met a few people from Detroit through an interest in techno music over the years, some from generations of auto workers. I have an awareness that cops have quite a strong union, but those no strike rules would presumably apply to them. Police here are covered by that restriction too, now I think of it.
I was in Washington D.C. on October 1, 2013 when the government shut down. We were there for a week and this was our last day in DC before getting a car and visiting other places. The monuments were shut down. We were able to get through one before it was barricaded and could get glimpses of others, but it isn’t the same thing. We were planning to go to the Air and Space Museum at Dulles before our flight a week later, but it was closed. We will be back in DC in early December for a funeral at Arlington and I sure hope the government has reopened long before then. We are planning a few extra days to see the things we missed last time.
GerryM, this might further explain the inability of Federal employees to strike but, Leonard, tell me if it's in error? It's one of the key differences between the National Labor Relations Act - which allows the private sector to strike - and the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, which disallows it for Federal employees.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Service_Labor-Management_Relations_Statute
"Another important difference is although the NLRA allows private sector employees to engage in "concerted action," like workplace strikes, the statute does not grant this right to federal employees.[2] In fact, the statute specifically excludes from the definition of "employee" those persons who engage in a workplace strike. It specifies that it is an unfair labor practice for labor unions to call or participate in a strike or a work stoppage that interferes with the operation of a federal agency."
Anyone remember the air traffic controller strike in 1981 under Reagan? That administration terminated the employment of 11,345 controllers who had ignored a federal court injunction to return to work, although some of them were eventually re-hired. Gerry, that was a big deal at the time:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_Air_Traffic_Controllers_Organization_(1968)
Seattle and Monterey, CA TSA precheck operating normally on October 2
Thanks for the links Kate.
The air traffic controllers strike under Reagan came up in another thread the other day actually. Just like the miners' strike here in 1984, it sounds like it was something of an inflection point in how government was able to take power from the workers and their unions through legislation.
The last shutdown lasted 35 days, which admittedly I had completely forgotten.
The present shutdown affecting transportation: No flying in CA or elsewhere domestically. However, next week I'll be heading to southern CA on AmTrak , that 11 hr train to Union Station.
I arrived ar JFK on Friday evening. I have Global Entry. Made it through faster than I ever have.
On Saturday, went through TSA Pre check at JFK. Quick and easy.
You'd never know there was a shutdown.
And.....both of these flights were early arrivals.
I flew from Reagan in DC to Newark yesterday afternoon. The flight was delayed for more than two hours. Newark was closed a couple of times because more flights were coming in than they could handle. I’m currently in Newark awaiting a flight to Pittsburgh. It’s showing as being on time. Fingers crossed.
Security in Reagan and Newark was normal; no delays.
Newark was closed a couple of times because more flights were coming in than they could handle.
This might not have been shutdown related. There has been a months-long FAA program limiting flights to/from Newark.
Before the shutdown the coffee at the Burger King in the Budapest airport was hotter and they filled the cup a little fuller.
The National Gallery in Washington DC sent out an email yesterday (Sat, Oct 4) saying it would be closed beginning today until further notice.
This announcement is now on the Smithsonian Institution website: "Our museums, research centers, and the National Zoo are open today, and will remain open through Saturday, October 11. If the government shutdown continues past October 11, the Smithsonian will then close to the public."
I'm glad the Smithsonian will remain open for the week. It's so disappointing for visitors when a large number of local tourist sights are closed.
Very sad about the National Gallery, acraven, but pleased that others of the museums will stay open at least for a while. We spent nearly 2 weeks in DC in the spring of 2023 and enjoyed the city very much. Contrary to (ahem) some reports, we were pleasantly surprised at how clean the National Mall and immediate urban surrounds were - lots of flowers! - and we walked all over without feeling unsafe. Terrific museums (!!!) and we spent the lion's share of a day hoofing around Arlington Cemetery. Still didn't get everything on the list accomplished, tho.
Acraven, thanks for the information about DC. Like Kate, I'm glad that it will remain open for a bit of time before they close.
Kate, the last time I was in D.C. was in 2004 for a convention. But I still remember how clean everything was. I was really impressed. I'm glad that hasn't changed, at least as of 2023.
Local news is reporting that Burbank airport in LA county will be without air traffic controllers for several hours this evening (October 6th). Traffic control will be handled by other controllers not at the airport. Could be a one-off, could be the start of something we will see more of in the upcoming days.
It looks like things are getting a bit worse. I just read this updated article in the NYT.
Hi brave travelers, any updates?
Particularly, I'm wondering please about long flight delays, being stuck on plane on tarmac
Thanks for any insights.
For more context, I've had a domestic (US) trip scheduled this weekend to see a friend and a Neko Case concert. I'd love to go, even contending with possible delays, but I'm worried I might lose it with the videos.
A good friend was delayed at O’Hare Friday. Cancelled flight due to lack of Air Traffic Controllers. Had to spend night in airport before rescheduling till Saturday. Not fun for anyone, especially those of us in the more mature age demographic.
I flew United domestic (regional jet) from/to Dulles this past weekend. Very quick through TSA on Saturday and same on Monday’s return. Only flight “delay” was a 5-minute wait for a gate to open up because of arriving ahead of schedule! In brief, no issues. I don’t think IAD has TVs in the waiting areas—not that I’ve noticed.
On the 14th I flew Seattle to Boston. Four hour delay. But I don’t think it was necessarily a flight controller staffing issue. Boston had a low ceiling and there was fairly heavy rain and 25 mph winds over Boston Harbor.
I flew out of DFW on Oct 13 direct to CDG, Paris. I had been tracking that flight for about a week before and it was departing anywhere from on time to 5 hours late. My flight left not quite 50 minutes late. Fortunately since I had a train ticket from Gare St Lazare to Rouen purchased I was still able to make my schedule connection just fine.
The TSA security was very fast. I’ve got precheck but the regular lines looked very normal too.
I flew from Raleigh to NYC (JFK) yesterday.
TSA Precheck was packed with just one lane open. At least 100 people on the line.
They opened up two lanes while I was on line and it moved.
We departed the gate 10 minutes late and while taxiing came to a halt. The pilot got on to say Air Traffic Control was giving us a ground halt due to traffic in the NY area. We sat on the ground for an hour and was told the flight would take longer than usual due to longer routing. We arrived just over an hour late.
I was also surprised to see how crowded JFK was yesterday.
While I can't be certain, I have to wonder if the goverment shutdown has anything to do with the delays.
I fly out this morning so it will be interesting to see what happens.
I'd be willing to bet it does. I know there have been problems with TSA employees calling in sick, and I'm sure it will get worse before it gets better.
Yesterday NYC had weather from that Noreaster running up the coast .
"Hi brave travelers, any updates?"
"...Being forced to watch the Hatch-Act violating video in TSA lines"
They have a list here of video-free airports currently.
Thank you for the information, @RobertH and others.
Safe travels to us all
A domestic report: this past week SEA- DTW was "that-video- free" and very speedy with the TSA pre-check, albeit a really early arrival (5:00 am).
The return from Milwaukee featured "that video" but with the sound not playing (?!) and a really, really surly desk agent, but that may be their usual persona...BTW the video monitor was quite small and if my travelling partner hadn't pointed it out I wouldn't have noticed.
The flights were both delayed, the first by 3 hours, but neither were due to air traffic control issues. Safe travels!
I didn't see the video at all on my return at MSP (and would not expect to).
Just boarded my flight from Boston to Seattle. No videos. No line to speak of at precheck. Flight slightly delayed due to weather. Strong headwind.
We had no difficulties on Friday going from CDG Paris to Minneapolis to Omaha. Actually flights got in early (we had to wait a little while in Minneapolis to get to our gate we were so early but still disembarked on time). Quick line using MPC, no luggage checked and got to our gate walking , not bothering with the tram, in plenty of time for our connection.
Just went through TSA precheck at Chicago O'Hare Terminal 1. Absolutely no line and didn't see/hear any video.
We flew from Boston to Houston yesterday, no issue. Pre-check moved really fast!
I flew United from San Francisco to Syracuse via O’ Hare on October 8, from Syracuse to Palm Springs via Denver on October 12, and from Palm Springs to San Francisco on October 16. TSA lines were very short and all 5 flights were early.
I don't think it will help that money has run out for the air traffic controllers. They've been relying on paychecks that were already in the system, but as of October 28, they will get zero dollars.
Mardee--we fly on the 29th so I am building in even more time at SEA before our flight. I am dreading it. At least it is a nonstop flight.
Someone was telling me the other day that they were reading Gibbon's fall of the Rome empire and they said it began with a government shutdown so, yeah, I'm a little nervous myself about flying today. 2 o'clock flight
Happy travels.
We arrived at Seatac from Paris around 6 last night, 10/21, and breezed through Global Entry with no line, although we came on a fairly full Delta flight. Customs was not staffed and completely closed. After baggage pick up we were directed to bypass Customs area and on to the exit with no further checks.
I flew a domestic non-stop flight, outbound to Cleveland (Oct 14) and return to Denver (yesterday, Oct 21) - both airports seemed normal, security lines were short, security checks were fast and efficient, both flights took off on time / early and each landed a few minutes early.
"I don't think it will help that money has run out for the air traffic controllers. They've been relying on paychecks that were already in the system, but as of October 28, they will get zero dollars. "
Don't think that will last. Jeff Merkley of Oregon has been speaking for >14hrs to delay the "continuing resolution" bill that would fund the Government through Nov 15(?). As soon as he can't anymore, the House already passed it, funding should be turned on for a couple of weeks at least.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/22/politics/jeff-merkley-senate-floor-speech
edit: for anyone interested in the speech:
