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Effects of the federal shutdown are being felt by air travelers after two Transportation Security Administration checkpoints were shut down at Philadelphia International Airport. Could Newark and the Port Authority’s New York airports be next? Philadelphia International officials announced the change on Nov. 5 that the Terminal A-West and Terminal F security checkpoints would temporarily close starting Wednesday. That still leaves five checkpoints open that are in walking distance of the closed checkpoints, officials said in a press release. The two outer most checkpoints were closed to “provide optimal operations at the Terminals A-East, B, C and D/E checkpoints,” airport officials said. The closure occurs as the federal government has been shut down for 36 days, which means that both TSA officers and Air Traffic Controllers are working without paychecks. Whether similar closures happen at the three airports operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are decisions to be made by that agency and the TSA, authority officials said. Depending on the number of security officers who call out, TSA could reconfigure security checkpoints or individual lanes to maximize screener deployment, officials said, similar to what was done in Philadelphia. A TSA spokesperson asked for understanding from travelers. “While the vast majority of TSA’s nationwide operations remain minimally impacted by the government shutdown, occasional delays at some security checkpoints are to be expected,” a TSA spokesperson said. “The longer the shutdown goes on, the more severe the impact on our TSA workforce who have expenses they must pay for, making it harder to show up for work when not being paid.” So far, wait times and conditions are near normal, authority officials said in a statement. Newark Airport’s website said wait times vary from 22 minutes to 1 minute, depending on the checkpoint location. Port Authority officials said they are in continuous contact with TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection and can deploy customer care resources to help manage queues in checkpoints and inspection areas if and as needed. But federal and travel industry officials said there could be problems if the shutdown continues into the busy Thanksgiving travel period. The U.S. Travel Association sent a letter to Congress on Nov. 3 urging an end to the shutdown, warning that it could have dire consequences for the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, which is three weeks away. Last year over 20 million passengers took flights in the United States during the holiday, according to the association. “The damage from this shutdown is growing by the hour with 60% of Americans reconsidering their travel plans,” said Geoff Freeman, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO. “The fastest way to restore confidence and restart travel is to reopen the government by passing a clean continuing resolution.” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned flights could be canceled or delayed if there is a shortage of controllers, causing the Federal Aviation Administration to shut down parts of the nation’s air space, in a Tuesday press conference. “You will see mass flight delays, you’ll see mass cancellations and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have the air traffic controllers,” Duffy was quoted as saying by CNN. Flights to Newark Airport were experiencing a 30-minute delay, according to the FAA. FlightAware reported 171 flights delayed and 9 canceled this afternoon. Travelers should prepare for potential flight delays or cancellations by frequently checking flight status on the airline’s website or app, and plan to arrive early to allow extra time for security screening, authority officials said.
