Better safe than sorry, right? One family took that motto to heart when traveling during the government shutdown, arriving at the airport with hours to spare.
But their precaution turned into an unexpectedly long wait.
Why Did Family Arrive 5 Hours Early?
In a viral video with more than 4.3 million views, stand-up comedian and engineer Karina Reyes (@karinareyl) documented what happened when her family played it extra safe during the government shutdown.
“POV: You came to the airport 5 hours earlier than your flight time because of the government shutdown but got through tsa in under 5 min so now you just wait,” the text overlay on her video reads.
The footage shows Reyes waiting with her mom and dad at what appears to be Los Angeles International Airport, having arrived far earlier than necessary out of concern for potential delays.
“Rather safe than sorry,” she wrote in the caption.
The video struck a chord with travelers nationwide who had been hearing warnings about potential airport chaos during the shutdown, only to find that their actual experience didn’t match the dire predictions.
What’s Going On With The Shutdown?
When the government shutdown began earlier this month, TSA officers and air traffic controllers were classified as essential workers, meaning they had to continue working without pay.
This raised fears of widespread flight delays and long security lines as workers faced financial pressure.
According to The Hill, some of the nation’s busiest airports experienced significant delays over the weekend due to air traffic control staffing shortages. Between Saturday and Monday, there were 19,000 flights delayed, with Sunday marking nearly 8,000 delays.
There were also 1,600 flight cancellations during that span. Southwest Airlines saw more than 30% of its flights delayed on Sunday and Monday, with American Airlines seeing similar figures on Sunday.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported “increased staffing shortages across the system,” which caused delays at airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Newark, New Jersey.
Overall, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA officers are working without pay during the shutdown.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged that more disruptions could be coming.
“I hope we don’t see more disruptions. But as this gets closer to payday, I think you could see more of that through the airspace,” he told Fox News.
The Hill reported that between October 6 and 10, more than 23,000 delays occurred, many stemming from air traffic controller issues. At that time, Duffy noted that 53% of delays were due to staffing issues, compared with 5% normally.
Not All Airports Affected Equally
Despite the warnings and some high-profile disruptions, many travelers found their airport experience relatively normal.
According to CBS News, while thousands of flights were delayed during the shutdown’s first week, the impact depended heavily on which airport you were flying through and what time of day you traveled.
Some facilities saw minimal disruption, while others struggled with staffing shortages that led to ground stops and significant delays. The unpredictability of the situation led many travelers, like Reyes and her family, to err on the side of extreme caution.
ABC News reported that during the 35-day government shutdown from December 2018 to January 2019, TSA officers called out of work at increased rates due to financial hardship, leading to closed security lines and longer wait times.
That shutdown ended after air traffic controllers in New York; Washington, D.C.; and Jacksonville, Florida, called out sick, causing a ground stop at LaGuardia Airport and widespread delays.
Commenters React
“It’s ok vacation starts once you arrive at the airport,” a top comment read.
“I love getting to the airport early and people watching, getting a coffee, looking through the shops, and reading,” a person said.
“And I’d rather sit there for 5 hours for no reason than risk missing my flight every time lol got to an airport 3 hours early once and BARELY made our flight. never never again,” another wrote.
@karinareyl Rather safe than sorry #government #governmentshutdown #tsa #airport #travel
BroBible reached out to Reyes for comment via TikTok direct message. We’ll be sure to update this if she responds.