Does Government Shutdown Affect New York Airport Travel?

As of October 1, 2025 the federal government is shutdown for the most part. While some departments are still functioning there are many federal workers and employees that will be without pay for weeks until they can agree to a solution.

Some federal agencies are deemed essential, which means that they have to continue to work normally - just without pay. They will eventually get that pay but not at the moment. A couple of those agencies are the TSA and air traffic controllers. While they are federal agencies they will continue to operate like normal. Will it have an impact on your travel?

TSA and the shutdown

USA Today reports that while TSA and the air traffic controllers are working, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) is shutdown. That means that if there are shortages at airports or TSA employees waiting to be trained they won't receive that training until the shutdown ends.

While our personnel have prepared to handle high volumes of travelers and ensure the security of our transportation systems, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports...

Basically, it should be normal for travelers, but you could see longer lines and slowdowns because employees won't be paid and they may seek jobs elsewhere and they won't be able to hire anyone to replace them.

Hopefully it won't cause too many issues for us in the Capital Region as we travel from Albany International Airports. Just because the government is shutdown doesn't mean our lives need to stop, and I would find it highly unfair to mess up a hard working person's vacation plans over something like this.

Read More: How Government Shutdown Affects New Yorkers

How long will a shutdown last?

The last time the federal government shutdown was in 2018 and it lasted about a month from December to January. Other shutdowns have happened since the 1980s. The happen when they can't pass the required bills needed to fund the government. Let's hope they can work things out quickly to resolve this before it impacts many more people.