As the longest government shutdown in U.S. history stretches into its fifth week, Canadians travelling down south should brace for long lines, delays and several disruptions at American airports with hundreds of flights cancelled nationwide on Friday.
Friday officially marked day 38 of the U.S. government shutdown, which continues to disrupt millions of federal workers — including air traffic controllers, airport security and border enforcement — as they deal with program cuts and blank paycheques.
According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, over 1,100 U.S. flights have been delayed and 800-plus cancelled as of 9:52 a.m. Videos of long lines at multiple U.S. airports have gone viral over the last few days as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has begun a 10 per cent reduction in air travel capacity at 40 major airports to deal with the staffing shortages.
“The longer this goes on, every day these hardworking Americans have bills they have to pay and they’re being forced to make decisions and a choice,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Tuesday, who’s been warning of “mass chaos” as parts of U.S. airspaces could be closed down.
“Do they go to work as air traffic controller or do they have to find a different job to get resources, money, to put food on their table, to put gas in their car?”
Gábor Lukács, the president of Air Passenger Rights, says there isn’t much Canadians travellers can really do to brace for the effects of the shutdown, but they should be closely monitoring what’s happening in the U.S. as the worker shortages could affect air traffic control and security checkpoints.
“If genuinely this problem is to cause delays or flight cancellations, that’s unfortunately clearly outside the carriers’ control,” said Lukács.
This is all the latest on the U.S. government shutdown and how it may or may not affect Canadians set to board a plane.
How does this affect Canadian travellers?
Canadians travelling in the U.S. should expect large lines at airports, as well as possible flight delays and cancellations.
The White House has said that wait times at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints have soared past three hours at airports such as Houston’s George Bush InterContinental Airport. Some passengers have experienced wait times of up to five hours, with some checkpoints even facing full closures.
ABC News reported that cuts to flights are affecting several major U.S. airports including Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles and New York.
Toronto Pearson Airport told the Star it has not yet seen any major issues related to the ongoing government shutdown in the U.S. but are keeping a close eye on the situation.
NAV Canada, the private, not-for-profit corporation that manages Canada’s air traffic control and airspace, told the Star it does not “anticipate any disruption to the provision of Canadian air navigation services as a result of the current government shutdown in the United States.”
“We continue to monitor cross-border operations closely and are maintaining regular co-ordination with our counterparts to ensure the safe and efficient management of air traffic within Canadian airspace. Passengers are encouraged to check directly with their airline regarding the status of their specific flight or destination,” it wrote.
According to a new Angus Reid Poll, 77 per cent of Canadians say they view the U.S. more negatively as a destination to travel to this year compared to prior years. This sentiment is held by 71 per cent, who are the most frequent flyers to the U.S.
Can you get compensation if your flight is affected by the government shutdown?
Short answer is no. If the disruption is within an airline’s control, it can lead to compensation for travellers. The U.S. government shutdown is not one of those things.
Despite the shutdown being an unprecedented event for Canadian travellers, Air Canada told the Star it is not required to pay compensation under the Air Passenger Protection Regulation. Air Canada did say it is monitoring the situation as it has caused some delays for all airlines, but as of Wednesday afternoon it said the airline is operating on normal schedule.
The Canadian Transport Agency is advising those dealing with delays to reach out to the airline they booked their travel with. In all situations, the airline has to rebook passengers on a new flight if the original flight was delayed for at least three hours or was cancelled.
How can you prepare yourself?
The Canadian Snowbird Association wrote to the Star that they are advising Canadians with plans to travel to the United States during the shutdown to plan ahead and allow extra time to prepare.
They are also warning travellers to be aware of recent updates to long-term traveller registration requirements, which may led to longer processing times due to reduced staffing at the border.
Lukács wants travellers to be wary of Canadian airlines falsely blaming delays and cancellations on the shutdown, when it might be their fault instead, which he says happens often.
“That’s one of the many problems with Canada’s air passenger protection regulation. It’s really so poorly (worded), that it’s very easy for the airline to at least raise a doubt and that’s not a good situation,” said Lukács.
“Ask yourself is this really something happening only to Air Canada or is it something to all the airlines. That reflects whether it’s likely something within or outside a carrier’s control.”
How did we get here?
The shutdown came into effect after both Republicans and Democrats could not come to an agreement to pass a bill funding government services.
U.S. President Donald Trump has refused to negotiate with Democrats over their request to salvage expiring health insurance subsidies until they go ahead and agree to reopen the government. In the U.S. system, Congress must approve a spending plan to send to the president to be signed into law.
The previous longest U.S. government shutdown occurred back in December 2018 into January 2019 during Trump’s first term.
