Travel industry sounds alarm over how shutdown will impact Americans ahead of Thanksgiving
Hundreds of tourism and travel industry groups are warning those planning to fly this Thanksgiving holiday that if the government shutdown doesn't end before the holiday arrives, passengers could face...
By Fox News · Fox News
Hundreds of tourism and travel industry groups are warning those planning to fly this Thanksgiving holiday that if the government shutdown doesn't end before the holiday arrives, passengers could face higher costs and increased wait times, delays and cancellations that could derail family travel plans across the country. Meanwhile, the groups, collectively under the banner of the U.S. Travel Association, a trade group representing the U.S. travel industry, also warned in a letter to leaders in Congress of long-term economic impacts that could hurt American workers, businesses and the economy amid the Thanksgiving holiday if the current government shutdown does not come to an end soon. The trade group estimates America's travel economy has already lost $4 billion due to the shutdown. Earlier this week, the U.S. Travel Association sent a letter to Senate leaders John Thune and Chuck Schumer, as well as their counterparts in the House, Mike Johnson and Hakeem Jeffries, urging the leaders to come to an agreement and pass "a clean continuing resolution" that will reopen the government after weeks of a shutdown that has been the longest in history. Democrats and Republicans have been gridlocked over whether to approve enhanced tax credits for Obamacare passed during the COVID-19 pandemic. FLIGHT CHAOS GRIPS US AIRPORTS AS SOME AIRLINES ADVISE BOOKING ‘BACKUP TICKET’: SEE THE LIST The letter warned that the longer the government is shutdown, the more money the travel economy will lose, leading to negative downstream economic impacts. Additionally, the letter, which was undersigned by nearly 500 travel and tourism industry organizations, warned that the longer the shutdown remains, the more strain airports will face from staffing shortages, which, if exacerbated further, could lead to major "chaos" as families try to fly for the Thanksgiving holiday. "Last year during Thanksgiving week, over 20 million passengers took flights in the United States. Thanksgiving is not only…