Wait times at airports across the country began to shrink on March 30 as tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers started getting back pay after more than a month without compensation.
President Donald Trump signed an order on March 27 redirecting earmarked federal funds to pay TSA workers. However, it’s only a temporary fix, and long-term funding still needs to be approved by lawmakers.
Funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees TSA, ran out on February 13, resulting in 61,000 TSA staff working without pay for the past 44 days. Thousands of TSA employees began calling in sick and about 500 have quit since the partial government shutdown started. Some said they were compelled to take other jobs.
The DHS shutdown began due to an impasse over immigration enforcement.
It’s unclear how fast and how drastically the situation will improve for business travelers and other airline passengers, but hours long wait times that plagued some airports last week have dwindled significantly today, according to media outlets.
The disruptions ground some airports to a near-halt in recent weeks, while others contended with security lines that lasted four hours and longer.
The hit on business travel has been significant, directly impacting productivity, commerce, and economic confidence, according to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). When airport processing slows up, employers delay trips, cancel meetings, and reconsider business travel altogether.
The ripple effects are being felt across local economies and the broader travel and tourism sector, GBTA said. The association’s research anticipates U.S. business travel spending will reach $395.4 billion this year. U.S. business travel also contributes $484.4 billion annually in direct spending, supports 6 million U.S. jobs and accounts for almost 2% of U.S. GDP, underscoring how critical business travel is to economic growth.
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