U.S. shutdown may cause travel delays for Canadians
Canadians travelling to the United States may want to check their flight status or plan for delays because of a shortage of airport screeners, as the U.S. government shutdown became the longest in history on the weekend.
Saturday marked Day 22 of the shutdown over President Donald Trump’s funding feud. He wants to build a US$5.7-billion wall between the U.S. and Mexico and that’s not a desire for all the political powers in Washington. The previous record for a government shutdown was 21 days under president Bill Clinton.
CNN reported Saturday that Miami International Airport will close a concourse early for three days because of a shortage of Transportation Security Administration screeners, who were not reporting for work. The New York Times reported that extreme financial hardship was causing TSA employees to either resign and look for other work or call in sick. The concern was if the impasse continues, travel will be thrown into turmoil.
TSA’s 51,000 airport security agents are federal employees, who are required to work without pay during the partial shutdown.
On this side of the border, YVR spokeswoman Andrea Pham said all operations at Vancouver International Airport were “normal” on Saturday, but recommended passengers check their flight status before heading for the airport.
Meantime, Canadians trying to renew or get a Nexus pass, which speeds up border entry for low-risk Canadians, have been told they will have to wait until the shutdown ends.
The Canada Border Service Agency said while some Nexus enrolment centres in Canada are open and completing the Canadian portion of the enrolment process, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection was not processing applications.
The CBSA recommended people contact the centre before attending a scheduled appointment, adding when the shutdown has ended, applicants will need to reschedule their interviews with U.S. Customs.
Reports that “sick” U.S. border employees have affected security were dismissed by the Transportation Security Administration, which released a statement last weekend saying while sick calls increased over the holidays, security effectiveness has not been compromised and screening waiting times were “well within TSA standards.”
The agency said Monday that 99.8 per cent of passengers nationwide waited in screening lineups for less than 30 minutes. However, that could change if the shutdown continues.
Last week, Air Canada advised travellers heading to the U.S. to arrive at Canadian airports three hours before departure because of processing times by U.S. Customs. WestJet had a similar advisory.