On Nov. 12, President Trump signed a bill to end the government shutdown. This was the result of the House voting 222 to 209 to end the shutdown on its 43rd day. Although some government services were expected to resume within hours, air travel and others are expected to take longer to stabilize.
With Thanksgiving around the corner, airports have a short amount of time to get back to normal operations.
Travelers, including SDSU students, are experiencing delays that may threaten their ability to make it to their destinations, especially for Thanksgiving break.
Rowan Pham, a junior graphic design major, said his girlfriend is having issues meeting her family for Thanksgiving.
“She does travel for Thanksgiving and stuff like that and like the airport has gotten her delayed,” he said.
Carlos Diaz, a senior psychology major, recounted his own issues related to the shutdown.
“I was thinking of maybe going to Yosemite, but I think we’re gonna drive according-because of the flights and stuff,” he said.
Emmanuel Escobar, an alumni with a masters in accounting, said that getting a passport was an issue.
“I would say getting my passport was a struggle. I needed to renew my passport card to cross the border, and the government shutdown had resulted in those offices closed, so yeah, it still affected me in some way.”, he said.
He also mentioned that he knows friends whose flights were delayed for up to a week.
The government shutdown, coupled with an already fragile airline system, has resulted in widespread flight delays.
According to Ahmed Abdelghany, an associate dean for research at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a single delayed flight creates issues that an airline needs to resolve by cancelling more flights.
“That avoids stranding planes and crew, which is what makes recovery possible,” he said.
During the shutdown, many air traffic controllers were absent from work due to withheld pay. As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration was forced to scale back airlines for safety reasons.
Students still have options if they plan to travel for the Thanksgiving season. Travelers are advised to download apps that can give push notifications about flight changes, research flight alternatives, and get to the airport as early as possible, according to CNN.
