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The impact of the government shutdown is rippling through airports, and viral videos showing long, slow-moving security lines and crowded terminals are fueling concerns among travelers.
“Air travel during a shutdown does not necessarily fail all at once,” Christopher Anderson, professor of operations, technology and information management at Cornell University, told HuffPost. “It becomes progressively more fragile as staffing pressure meets peak demand.”
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With the shutdown now in its fourth week, travelers are experiencing major disruptions and delays due to staffing issues.
“TSA screeners are about to miss their first full paycheck,” said Paul Bernardini, head of marketing at the flight tracking app Flighty. “As a result, more are taking time off, which will cause staffing gaps.”
As the weeks stretch on, some TSA workers will call out and seek other sources of income to pay their bills. Those who receive other job offers may resign from the TSA, leaving the agency even more short-staffed.
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Bernardini noted that travelers should expect the slower airport security to continue until there’s a funding agreement to reopen the government.
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