1.20.18 – (LAA/LUS) – Government Shutdown

At 12:01 am today, the United States Government officially ran out of money and all “nonessential” services started to shut down. Below is a USA Today article that gives a good overview of what this means.

For Flight Attendants and the aviation industry, supposedly nothing will change right away. Air traffic controllers, TSA, and other safety and security federal employees will stay on their jobs, but other on-going services will cease. For example, the NTSB has a final hearing scheduled on the fire and evacuation of AA Flight 383. If the shutdown persists through the weekend, it is likely that Hearing will be canceled.

The expectation is that the shutdown will be short-lived with the House, the Senate, and the President meeting over the weekend. However, for the time being, both sides remain far apart, and a quick solution appears unlikely.

For now, it is business as usual for flight crews, but we should all monitor the situation throughout the weekend. Updates on the NTSB hearing will be forthcoming.

USA TODAY: What’s Open, What’s Closed, What’s Different? >>

Allie Malis
APFA National Interim Government Affairs Representative
[email protected]