Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
U.S.A.
English
Canada
English
Canada Quebec
Français
  • News
  • Packaged Travel
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Air
  • Training & Resources
  • Luxury Travel Report

Travel Looks to Return to Normal Operations After Government Shutdown Ends

by Daniel McCarthy  January 28, 2019
Travel Looks to Return to Normal Operations After Government Shutdown Ends

Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo had been closed since early January because of the parital government shutdown. Most are reopening this week. Photo: bakdc / Shutterstock.com

The longest-ever government shutdown ended on Friday when President Trump signed a bill to reopen the government for three weeks, giving 800,000 federal workers a chance to get paychecks that had been withheld since the shutdown started on Dec. 22, 2018.

With the government reopened, air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration workers, national park staff, and more are all back to work today, as the U.S. travel economy looks to get back to normal operations and Congress works securing on a longer deal.

U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow applauded the reopening in a statement last week, writing that the agreement “hopefully averts further disruption to air transportation, which undoubtedly would have begun to generate downstream economic damage throughout the country.

“Likewise, the reopening of national parks, plus the resumption of government travel and government-related business travel, will halt the estimated $100 million in daily cost the loss of those activities has been imposing on the economy,” he added.

Travel companies like Marriott (which said it was suffering in the Washington, D.C., market), and airlines like Southwest (which said it lost $15 million), and Delta (which said it was losing $25 million), were all calling for an end to the shutdown.

The TSA, which was long feared to be the agency most impacted by the shutdown and had been consolidating workers across the country to deal with staff shortages, released daily updates on its checkpoint operations during the shutdown. On Thursday, Jan. 24, the last full day of the shutdown, the TSA screened 1.99 million passengers and crew. Even with a callout rate of 7.6 percent, which was more than double the 3 percent callout rate from the same day last year, the TSA was able to keep security waits to 30 minutes for 99.9 percent of passengers and less than 15 minutes for 95.4 percent.

Even at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, which was forced to issue a ground stop on Friday that lasted an hour and 22 minutes because of a lack of air-traffic controllers that many thought forced the government’s hand to reopen, the TSA kept the maximum standard wait time to 15 minutes (7 minutes for PreCheck passengers).

The union representing TSA workers, American Federation of Government Employees, called the agreement “long overdue” and called on Congress to “pass full-year appropriations for all government agencies as well legislation to make all affected federal employees whole.”

“We are also urging Congress to act to prevent the use of shutdowns from ever occurring again,” J. David Cox Sr., national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, wrote.

National parks that had been impacted during the shutdown begun to resume regular operations over the weekend, including Valles Caldera National Preserve, Olympic National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Gettysburg National Military Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and more.

Some are not reopening as staff work to undo damage that was done — a former superintendent of Joshua Tree National Park called the damage to that park “irreparable” last week. Visitors should check with the individual park before making the trip.

Smithsonian museums and D.C.’s National Zoo are readying to reopen on Tuesday. The Smithsonian said it had been losing $1 million a week during the shutdown, according to Secretary David J. Skorton.

  
  

MOST VIEWED

  1. La Liste Reveals Top 10 Hotels in the World for 2025
  2. Travel Leaders Network President John Lovell to Depart for Cruise Role
  3. Delta Air Lines Clarifies Schedule Change Policy for Travel Agencies
  4. Hilton Rewards Reservations Canceled Amid Transition of Playa Hotels to Hyatt
  5. Certares Takes Full Ownership of Avoya Travel, Andersons Depart
  6. American Airlines Launches First Touchless ID Lanes


  1. Former Virgin Voyages Head of Sales John Diorio Lands New Role at Celestyal
  2. Delta Is Now Requiring Agencies to Acknowledge and Accept Schedule Changes in PNR
  3. 8 Things to Know About Azamara Cruises
  4. Overtourism Backlash Heats Up in Europe as Summer Season Kicks Off
  5. Xanterra Travel Collection Names New CIO & Corporate Director of Sales
  6. Here Are All the New Cruise Ships Coming in 2026, 2027, and Beyond
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth luxury coverage, analysis of luxury news, luxury trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
U.S. Issues Travel Alerts for Myanmar & Thailand Following Earthquakes
U.S. Issues Travel Alerts for Myanmar & Thailand Following Earthquakes

On Friday, March 28, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Burma in Myanmar, with tremors felt in neighboring Thailand and China.

MSC Cruises Takes Delivery of World America
MSC Cruises Takes Delivery of World America

MSC is also celebrating the coin ceremony for MSC World Asia and steel cutting for the MSC World Atlantic.

U.S. Secretary of State Promises to Reevaluate Jamaica Travel Warning
U.S. Secretary of State Promises to Reevaluate Jamaica Travel Warning

The U.S. State Department has told Americans to “reconsider” travel to Jamaica since July 2024.

Canada Issues New Travel Warning for U.S. Over New Entry Rules
Canada Issues New Travel Warning for U.S. Over New Entry Rules

The advisory targets new entry and exit requirements for Canadians traveling to the U.S.

Britain & Germany Issue Travel Warnings for U.S.
Britain & Germany Issue Travel Warnings for U.S.

The U.K. and Germany have updated their travel advisories for the U.S. following the detainment of three German citizens at the border.

Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner Resigns
Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner Resigns

Gardner has served as president of Amtrak since 2020, and as CEO since 2022.

TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
View All
industry spotlight
https://img.youtube.com/vi/F3tnroIkhTQ/0.jpg
Mitsui Ocean Cruises, Beautiful Encounters with Japan
Advertiser's Voice
The Collette Premium Experience
About Travel Market Report Mission Meet the Team Advisory Board Advertise Syndication Guidelines
TMR Resources Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
© 2005 - 2025 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Manage cookie preferences