Is State College Regional Airport impacted by the federal shutdown? What to know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- State College Regional Airport remains largely insulated from shutdown delays so far.
- Airport uses Midwest ATC contract tower staff who continue working and getting paid.
- Continued federal shutdown could trigger wider U.S. flight cancellations and delays.
Across the country, major airports are nearing a “flight cancellation apocalypse” due to staffing issues stemming from the federal government shutdown. But locally, at least so far, State College Regional Airport has largely been insulated from the widespread issues.
According to several airport officials, any local delays have been minimal.
Terminal manager Jason McMurtrie acknowledged that United Express has “experienced some delays” on flights between State College and Chicago — but because of air traffic control shortages in Chicago. The Federal Aviation Administration also on Wednesday ordered 40 major airports to reduce flights by 10% to help ease the strain, and those major airports include three that use State College — in Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
“So far, we are not aware of any specific flights that have been impacted,” McMurtrie added in an email. “However, it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw some disruptions, although I suspect they will not be significant.”
Elsewhere in the U.S., major airport hubs are experiencing a more impactful strain. Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers have gone more than 35 days without being paid.
That’s led to more than 3.4 million passengers — so far — that have been affected by delays and cancellations, according to airline industry trade organization Airlines for America. But local travelers have largely been spared because State College’s airport is uniquely positioned compared to the major hubs.
Why State College is different
The federal government shutdown directly led to the current issues because of staffing problems with air traffic controllers and TSA officers. But air traffic controllers at State College Regional Airport operate a little differently than they do at the major hubs.
Major airports like those in Chicago and Philadelphia are staffed by FAA-employed air traffic controllers paid by the federal government. So, as essential employees during a shutdown, they’re required to work while not being paid — a combination that reportedly led to as many as 80% of controllers not showing up to work in New York City last Friday. (They will receive backpay once the shutdown ends.)
However, State College Regional Airport doesn’t use FAA-employed air traffic controllers. Instead, State College and about 51% of all air traffic control towers in the U.S. use employees from private companies through the FAA Contract Tower Program.
Basically, the program is designed for smaller airports that cannot financially support a fully staffed FAA-operated tower. So State College’s airport uses controllers who are employees of private company Midwest Air Traffic Control, which is able to pay employees through the shutdown.
Midwest ATC serves as a contractor for the FAA. Although some funding for such contractors has reportedly been frozen, Bryan Rodgers — the director of State College Regional Airport — said its controllers are “not impacted” by the shutdown and are still being paid.
A spokesperson for Midwest ATC declined further comment because she said the company was unable to respond to the media “due to FAA regulations regarding contractors.”
TSA officials at State College’s airport are federal workers, however, and they’re not receiving paychecks during the shutdown. A majority of TSA officers are full-time in the U.S. but, in State College, many are part-time.
“The State College Regional Airport is incredibly grateful that TSA Agents continue working to provide critical passenger security screening services during the shutdown,” Rodgers told the CDT on Wednesday.
Given the airport’s small size and smaller security lines, wait times are much less of an issue in State College compared to significantly busier spots like Houston or Los Angeles.
“ ... We all greatly appreciate the dedication of the TSA officials who show up every day to work without pay,” added Ralph Stewart, executive director of the Centre County Airport Authority. “Many of them are part-time employees and are undoubtedly feeling the pinch.”
Will cancellations at airports get worse?
As long as the federal government shutdown persists, so will the issues at airports.
The FAA has already called for a 10% phased flight reduction at 40 major airports and, as more fed-up government employees resign or fail to show up, even more cancellations and delays are expected. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — who on Tuesday predicted “mass chaos” for next week — said Friday, if the shutdown continues, flight cuts could increase to as much as 20% at some airports.
TSA wait times have already surpassed one hour at some locations. In Houston, at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, TSA lines even exceeded three-hour waits at one point.
Even when the shutdown does eventually end, airports won’t immediately snap back to normal. It will take time for staff to return to normal attendance levels. It’ll take effort to reopen closed checkpoints and recover operationally. And it’ll take a while to work through backlogs of passengers and flight scheduling disruptions.
“This is going to get worse, particularly with wait times and significant inconvenience for passengers … particularly with Thanksgiving and the holidays coming right around the corner,” Acting TSA Administrator Adam Stahl told Fox News Digital.
For now, State College’s airport is OK. But the longer the shutdown lasts, experts intimate the worse overall shape the airline industry will be in.
