Partial “shutdown” in the US affects air traffic and tourism: TSA works without pay, industry warns of delays and decline in passenger confidence
US air traffic and the global tourism industry are once again under pressure due to the partial shutdown of the federal administration, which this time is related to the funding of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In practice, this means that thousands of “essential” employees, including Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at airport security checkpoints, continue to work even though they are temporarily not receiving pay. At the same time, airlines and tourism organizations warn that if the blockade continues, longer lines, more delays, and further erosion of passenger confidence can be expected – with consequences spreading beyond the US.
What is happening and why is it a “partial” shutdown
According to available information, the DHS entered a partial “shutdown” on February 15, 2026, after no agreement was reached in Washington on the continued funding of the department and related demands regarding the oversight of immigration operations. While the rest of the federal administration is largely funded through the end of the fiscal year, this stalemate affects agencies under the DHS – including the TSA, the U.S. Coast Guard, FEMA, and other services. According to US media reports, most employees in this regime must continue to perform their duties, but without regular payment, with the promise that – once funding is restored – they will receive back pay.
For passengers, the key fact is that airport security checkpoints do not formally stop. However, the experience of previous “shutdowns” shows that the operational system does not only depend on whether the checkpoints are open, but also on how many people are at work, how many are absent due to financial pressure, and how quickly “bottlenecks” accumulate at the busiest hubs.
TSA working without pay: risk of absences and slower passenger flow
TSA officers, known as Transportation Security Officers (TSO), become the front line in the crisis: passengers see them at checkpoints, but in the background, the problem of maintaining full shift staffing grows. In testimony before Congress on February 11, 2026, the TSA warned that many TSOs live “paycheck to paycheck” and that when pay stops, it becomes difficult for them to cover basic costs such as rent, bills, fuel, and childcare. In the same context, it was emphasized that with the extension of the “shutdown,” unannounced absences from work could increase, which directly slows down security checks and lengthens lines.
Signals are already arriving from the field that the situation is tense. Local reports from individual airports state that TSA employees are coming to work even though they are not paid, with messages from union representatives that the system must prepare for “worst-case scenarios” if the political dispute continues. For passengers, this means in practice a higher risk of longer waits at checkpoints, especially during morning “peaks,” weekends, and periods of increased travel.
Airlines warn: even small disruptions quickly turn into a domino effect
The aviation system functions as a series of connected links: security checks, baggage handling, take-off and landing slots, air traffic control, crews, technical maintenance, and crowd management. When one link starts to “creak,” the consequences spread throughout the entire network.
Industry actors had already warned earlier that an extended “shutdown” could force the system to slow down, with reduced efficiency and increased delays. In previous crises, especially during the long shutdown of 2018/2019, problems were recorded with the absence of key personnel, which in some periods led to significant delays and increased pressure on hubs on the East Coast. Due to the “ripple” effect, the delay of one flight does not remain a local problem: passengers miss connections, crews cannot “make up” the backlog due to working hour rules, and aircraft and gates remain occupied longer than planned.
Why the problem spills over into global tourism
The US is not only a large domestic market, but also one of the most important international hubs. New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, and other hubs connect Europe, Asia, and Latin America. When US airports become slower, it is felt in international flight schedules: arrivals are delayed, connections to further destinations “break,” and passengers change their plans.
The tourism sector is particularly sensitive to the perception of reliability. Passengers don’t just plan a flight, but also hotels, transfers, tours, business meetings, and events. Uncertainty about the duration of the “shutdown” increases caution – some passengers postpone purchasing tickets or choose routes that avoid layovers in the US. For agencies and tour operators, this means more inquiries, more booking changes, and higher operational costs, and for destinations that depend on American guests, a potential drop in demand.
Economics of the “shutdown”: what models and the 2019 experience show
Estimates of impacts depend on the duration. A short-term stalemate usually passes with relatively limited consequences, but as the days without pay accumulate, the probability of absences and slowdowns increases. In an analysis used for the tourism sector by Tourism Economics (Oxford Economics) models, it was highlighted that during the 2018/2019 shutdown, the effects on airports began to be seen more strongly after the crisis persisted: TSA officer absences in some airports rose manifold, and at the national level, the absence rate reached about 10 percent, which is more than triple the usual levels. Such data are important because they show how the system can function “on the edge” even before the public clearly notices the problem – and then the situation can deteriorate sharply.
Although this is a partial shutdown within one department, the logic of the pressure on the workforce remains the same: without regular payments, a larger part of employees looks for alternatives, takes additional jobs, borrows money, or is forced to be absent due to basic living costs. For a sector that relies on precise logistics and high shift discipline, this is a combination that quickly produces delays.
What about air traffic control and flight safety
In earlier “shutdowns,” public focus often shifted from TSA lines to air traffic control and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Although the current stalemate primarily affects the DHS, industry discussions again raise the question of system resilience, especially at a time when US institutions have already warned of a shortage of professional staff in key services.
As a rule, air traffic controllers and safety inspectors are among “essential” employees and continue to work even during a shutdown, but the pressure of working for days without pay can increase absences here as well. In practice, this means that if a staff shortage appears somewhere, the number of landings and take-offs may be limited to maintain safety. Passengers then see the consequence in the form of delays, diversions, and cancellations – often without a clear “single” point of failure, as it is a combination of safety and operational decisions.
Political stalemate and deadlines: why it’s hard for passengers to estimate how long it will last
According to reports from relevant US newsrooms, there is currently no clear path to a quick deal, and an additional problem is the congressional recess which could slow down formal steps toward a solution. At the heart of the dispute are demands related to the oversight and accountability of immigration agencies, including issues of officer identification, the use of body cameras, and arrest procedures. While the two sides dispute the wording and security implications, passengers and the industry remain in a state of uncertainty.
Tourism associations and the aviation sector have long insisted that the funding of critical infrastructure – from security checks to key operational services – be protected from political blockades, as the consequences do not remain within the borders of Washington. The warnings are even louder as the “shutdown” occurs in a period when the aviation system in many countries is operating at the limit of capacity, with increased demand and chronic labor challenges.
What passengers can expect and how to prepare
At this stage, most flights continue to operate according to schedule, but the risk of disruption grows with the length of the shutdown. Passengers traveling through major US airports are advised to account for longer waits at security checks, to arrive at the airport earlier, and to follow airline announcements. It is especially important to leave “buffer” time for connections, as delays in one segment can lead to missed connections.
For international passengers continuing via the US to other destinations, there is an additional risk that delays can spill over into the entire itinerary: hotel reservations, car rentals, tours, and events often have strict change conditions. Travel organizers therefore warn that in these circumstances it is crucial to have more flexible ticket and accommodation conditions, as well as insurance that covers plan changes – where possible.
The bigger picture: trust in the system and long-term consequences
Although a “shutdown” is often perceived in public as a short-term political drama, in the travel and tourism sector, it leaves a long-lasting trace. Employees who repeatedly go through periods of working without pay have a greater motive to leave the system, making it harder to hire and train new people. Additionally, investment projects and security equipment upgrades may slow down as planning becomes more difficult under a temporary funding regime.
The most important thing, however, is passenger confidence: air traffic rests on predictability. When predictability is disrupted, part of the demand moves to other routes, other modes of transport, or trips are simply postponed. If the political dispute is resolved quickly, the consequences will likely remain limited. But if it persists, the US risks becoming, at least temporarily, a less attractive transit corridor – and that effect, once established, is hard to reverse quickly.
Sources:- Associated Press – report on the partial DHS “shutdown” and consequences for TSA and other agencies (link)- TSA – testimony before Congress on potential effects of the financial stalemate on workforce and airport operations (link)- TIME – analysis of possible airport delays and TSA working without pay during partial shutdown (link)- U.S. Travel Association / Tourism Economics (Oxford Economics) – modeled effects of the shutdown on traffic and tourism, with data from 2019 (link)- ABC 10News (San Diego) – field report on TSA officers working without pay after the start of the shutdown (link)
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