What a US federal government shutdown might mean for travellers

By Jeanne Bonner, Tami Luhby and Maureen O'Hare for CNN

If US congressional lawmakers fail to agree on a spending package for the new fiscal year, which starts 1 October, that could trigger a federal government shutdown.

And that could mean significant travel disruptions for travellers in the US and for visitors from overseas.

Impacts could be felt in longer airport lines, muddled itineraries and US National Park closures, including one of the nation's most popular public tourist sites, the Grand Canyon, which state officials told CNN they cannot afford to keep open if the federal government shuts down.

In addition, big losses in tourism revenue could have significant repercussions for the US travel industry.

While many airport employees, including air traffic controllers, are required to show up for work (as they are categorized as essential), they would do so without pay and it is likely there would be some staffing issues.

The wider impact to the US travel industry would be significant, coming at a time when many tour operators and hospitality industry workers are reeling from the dearth of Canadian travellers, a significant number of whom are vowing to stay away as long as President Trump is in office.

Here's what travellers need to know.

What impact will a US government shutdown have on airline travel?

Flights will continue to take off, but the aviation sector will be under duress and that means most likely some delays and cancellations.

Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees who staff airport security checkpoints are typically deemed essential workers and must remain on the job, but they will be working without pay.

According to a plan the Transportation Department released in March, the more than 13,000 air traffic controllers will continue to work unpaid during any budget lapse resulting in a shutdown.

Staffing shortages during past shutdowns have contributed to snarled flights and could lead to longer security lines.

In January 2019, the decision by 10 air traffic controllers to call out sick helped end that shutdown.

Their absence temporarily shut down travel at New York's LaGuardia airport and caused delays at other major hubs, including in New Jersey, Philadelphia and Atlanta, driving President Trump to agree to a temporary government funding measure.

The shutdown would also impact the government's efforts to strengthen the US air traffic control system.

US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced on 23 September that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hit its air traffic controller hiring goals for Fiscal Year 2025 by bringing in more than 2000 new controllers - but the training of those new hires would almost certainly be delayed by the shutdown.

According to the plan released in March, activities that would cease during a shutdown include air traffic controller hiring, field training for controllers and air traffic performance analysis.

Will trains be affected?

Amtrak trains will continue to roll, even if the government shuts down. Spokesperson Beth K. Toll told CNN that anyone travelling "in the Northeast Corridor and across the country in the coming days and weeks can be assured that Amtrak will remain open for business."

Amtrak receives public funding but is operated as an independent agency.

Will national parks stay open?

Travellers to the country's national parks could see a big impact, affecting some of the most popular tourist destinations in the US.

On Tuesday, officials with the parks service told CNN up-to-date plans for closing sites are still being finalized if the shutdown occurs but referred questions to a 2024 contingency plan that called for completely closing the "majority of National Park sites" to the public.

That will include the Grand Canyon in Arizona, which had 4.9 million visitors in 2024, making it one of the top three most popular national parks.

Liliana Soto, press secretary for Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, told CNN on Tuesday that Arizona taxpayers "cannot and should not continue bearing the cost of dysfunctional politicians in Washington, D.C. who would rather shut down the government than reach across the aisle and work together".

According to the National Parks Conservation Association, which is an independent advocacy association, the shutdown could shutter 433 park sites across the country.

Those looking to explore national parks may find gates shut or doors locked. Alternatively, they may be able to access the park but won't find any visitor services available.

In places where parks do close, the lack of visitors will have an impact on local economies that benefit from expenditures by park-goers at restaurants, gas stations and other businesses.

Theresa Pierno, the association's president, said the stakes are even higher now than in previous shutdowns.

"Our national parks are already in crisis," she said in a statement on the association's website.

"A shutdown would furlough thousands of staff, drain millions in revenue from communities that rely on park tourism, jeopardize the protection of historic and natural resources, and upend plans for countless visitors."

But the impact on the national park sites has differed greatly in recent shutdowns.

In 2013, an estimated 8 million recreation visits were lost during the 16-day shutdown, according to the association citing National Park Service data. During the most recent shutdown in 2019, on the other hand, many parks remained open, though no visitor services were provided.

States have also stepped in to keep some national parks open using their own funds. When a shutdown loomed in the fall of 2023, Utah said it would keep the Mighty 5 parks - Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion - open. Colorado also said in 2023 that it would keep its four national parks and other federal lands open.

Utah's state government posted a message on its website this week that officials are monitoring events in Washington connected with national park funding and are striving to protect the national parks in Utah.

"In the event of a federal shutdown, we are committed to keeping these areas accessible," the message reads.

CNN has contacted Colorado for comment about its plans if the federal government shuts down.

Museums and other sites

Some of the country's most visited museums, including the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, could be affected by closures.

The Smithsonian, which bills itself as the world's largest museum complex, said on Tuesday that the organisation's facilities would remain open until at least Monday, 6 October, using budget funds from previous years.

It oversees 21 museums and the National Zoo. Most are in Washington, DC, but two - design museum Cooper Hewitt and National Museum of the American Indian - are in New York City.

Also potentially closing during a shutdown: one of the most cherished monuments in America - the Statue of Liberty, which is a national park, operated by the Parks Service.

The NPS would not say if the statue would close but spokesperson Kathleen Qorraj said visitors should check the website at www.nps.gov/stli for information, and added: "We hope that all parties will work together to keep federal offices and parks open without interruption."

Passports and visas

A State Department spokesperson told CNN on Monday: "Consular operations domestically and abroad will remain operational. This includes passports, visas, and assisting US citizens abroad."

During previous shutdowns, the State Department has said US embassies and consulates around the world are not funded primarily through annual appropriations and so those applying for visas or seeking consular services can do so without worry.

- CNN