by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:15 AM ET, Wed October 1, 2025
As of last night, Tuesday, September 30, the U.S. federal government has shutdown.
This will undoubtedly impact travel: the USTOA warned that a federal shutdown would cost the travel industry $1 billion every week.
Yesterday, the major American air carriers warned that a federal shutdown would impact air travel: TSA workers and air traffic controllers won’t be paid until the shutdown ends, and some (or many) simply won’t appear for service without pay, though as essential workers, they are required to.
An estimated 13,000 TSA workers are expected to begin working without pay this week.
Travelers taking to the skies are cautioned to allow for more time to pass through security checkpoints, especially at international gateways, and to expect flight delays.
Amtrak will continue operating as usual.
Beyond this, National Parks will likely be shuttered, and federally run museums and sites will also close: the Smithsonian Institution, along with the National Zoo, will remain open through at least October 6, hoping to wait out the shutdown.
Some states will take on the cost of operating the popular national parks on their own: Utah, according to CNN, has already made the promise of keeping its parks open to visitors, which are a main draw for people from all over the world.
The Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau and the Hawai’i Tourism Authority were quick to issue a response to the government shutdown, telling travelers that they will still be able to travel to and within the islands.
State and county facilities will continue operating, though national parks, wildlife refuges and other federal facilities may be closed or have limited access. These include the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.
It recommends allowing extra time to pass through airport security, though travelers heading to Hawai’i anytime soon should continue checking the government shutdown page on GoHawaii for the most up-to-date travel information.
The last government shutdown occurred in 2019, during President Trump’s previous administration. The longest in American history, it spanned 35 days, and, according to CNN, the biggest reason that it ended was because ten air traffic controllers at New York’s LaGuardia airport all called in sick on the same day.
Their absence effectively shut down the airport and significantly impacted travel at other area hubs, driving President Trump to agree to funding demands that had caused the shutdown.
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