WORLD ROUTES: US Shutdown Could be Resolved Quickly

The US shutdown should be resolved within a week, with attractions and national parks reopening soon, the head of the US Travel Association (USTA) said during a panel discussion at the World Routes Strategy Summit at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Roger Dow, president and chief of the USTA said: “It’s a case of who is going to blink first. All the vital services and things are running, but someone is going to blink [in the next few days],” he said. Hundreds of thousands of non-essential government workers have been furlonged in the shutdown and all the country’s national parks have been closed to visitors.

While Dow was positive that the situation would be resolved soon, Allegiant Air’s senior vice president said there was some knock-on effects on airlines. Jude Bricker said that while all essential services like border and customs were operating, the carrier was looking ahead to potential issues if the government doesn’t fully reopen soon.

“There is no immediate effect on us, but if we don’t get the FAA back soon we will have problems with things like pilot training,” he said.

Richard Maslen

Richard Maslen has travelled across the globe to report on developments in the aviation sector as airlines and airports have continued to evolve and…