How the US government shutdown could impact travel, from airports to national parks

Additionally, the development, testing, and evaluation of technology to revamp air traffic control operations – an FAA initiative called NextGen – would also be paused during the shutdown, per the DOT plan. That means a delay to the rollout of sorely needed equipment improvements in airports around the nation.

Will national parks be closed during a government shutdown?

US national parks will be kept partially open during the duration of the government shutdown, according to a National Park Service (NPS) contingency plan published on Tuesday 30 September. Accessible areas such as park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air sites “will generally remain accessible to visitors,” the plan says, while buildings and monuments, such as park visitor centres, will be closed.

The national parks that remain open to the public will use recreation fees to fund basic visitor services, including restrooms and sanitation, trash collection, road maintenance, campground operations, law enforcement, emergency operations, and staffing entrance gates as necessary to provide critical safety information. However, “If visitor access becomes a safety, health, or resource protection issue (weather, road conditions, resource damage, garbage build-up to the extent that it endangers human health or wildlife, etc.), the area must be closed,” the NPS says.

Some state governments have vowed to keep their national parks and monuments running with local funds in the event of a shutdown. Utah, for one, has promised that the state’s “Mighty Five” national parks, including Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capital Reef, and Zion will all be accessible. Colorado has also indicated it might use state funds to keep Rocky Mountain National Park open if necessary.

Non-profit groups are advocating for all national parks to be closed to the public during the shutdown, citing unsupervised visits to national parks during the 2019 shutdown that caused irreparable damage to sites, including the vandalisation of prehistoric petroglyphs and the destruction of Joshua trees. “[T]he administration is once again putting our national parks and visitors at risk, effectively directing staff to open park gates and walk away,” Theresa Pierno, President and CEO for National Parks Conservation Association, said in a statement. “Visitors may enter, but very few staff will be there to protect the parks or the people inside.”

Based on the NPS contingency plan, about 64 per cent of the park service workforce is set to be furloughed during the shutdown, impacting over 9,000 employees. The remaining 2,700 federal workers will perform “excepted activities” such as emergency response, border protection, fire suppression, and public health and safety.

In the past, most federal employees furloughed during government shutdowns have returned to work and received back pay after a funding agreement has been reached. However, President Donald Trump has said he plans to use the shutdown to push for more mass layoffs at federal agencies. While it’s not yet clear if NPS employees will be targeted, the shutdown is poised to strain a workforce that has already been greatly diminished.

If you are reconsidering an upcoming national park trip, state parks will be open and fully staffed, making for a good alternative trip.

Will the government shutdown impact train travel?

Train journeys on Amtrak are not affected in the event of government closure. Although Amtrak is federally funded and chartered with the US government as its controlling shareholder, it operates as a for-profit corporation. Amtrak employees are not federal workers, and the company receives federal funds through various government grants and congressional appropriations, separate from the budget bill under debate.

Does travel insurance cover a government shutdown?

Most travel insurance policies should offer assistance in the event of a government shutdown. “If a government shutdown results in airline or airport disruptions that impact your trip, it can trigger trip delay, trip cancellation, or trip interruption coverage benefits,” says Jeff Rolander, vice president of claims at Faye Travel Insurance.

This article was first published on Condé Nast Traveler.