The looming specter of a government shutdown could cause delays for holiday travelers this year.
The biggest impact would likely be felt at U.S. airports.
The Transportation Security Administration said Thursday that it expected to screen 40 million passengers through Jan. 2, and that about 59,000 of its more than 62,000 employees were expected to continue working, without pay, if a congressional agreement is not reached and government funding expires Saturday at 12:01 a.m. ET.
“While our staff is prepared to process large numbers of travelers and ensure safe travel, please note that an extended closure could mean longer wait times at airports,” TSA Administrator David P. Pekoske said in a statement Thursday.
According to the US Travel Association, a shutdown could also translate into a loss of $1 billion per week for the US travel economy.
The House of Representatives passed a funding bill on Friday evening, sending it to the Senate just hours before the midnight deadline. It is unclear whether the measure will reach President Joe Biden’s desk before then.
The most recent closure began on December 22, 2018 and lasted 35 days. The continued uncertainty led to unexpected absences among many TSA employees.
Federal Aviation Administration and TSA employees are not allowed to strike, work stoppages or organize sick days under federal law, but during the latest shutdown, some air traffic controllers called in sick, and travelers making their way through airports in the Northeast were hit with lengthy delays .
Vacation travelers at the time faced longer lines at security checkpoints after calls from TSA officers at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport nearly tripled and the absenteeism rate among airport security guards peaked at 10%, compared to an average absenteeism rate of 3%, according to a report by the Tourism Economic research agency.
Train traffic may also be affected by a closure. Amtrak employees will continue to receive pay, but 40% of Federal Railroad Administration staff were furloughed during the 2018-2019 shutdown, and Office of Railroad Safety employees worked without pay, according to the report. the company.
People who choose to travel by car can also make longer trips, even if the nation’s highways are not immediately affected by a government shutdown in any meaningful way.
AAA said it predicted that about 119 million people would travel 50 miles or more from home during the holidays, Dec. 21 to Jan. 1 — an increase of about 3 million travelers from a year earlier.
“This year, with Christmas Day falling on a Wednesday, we expect record-breaking travel numbers the weekend before and the weekend after the holiday,” Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement this month.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
