As the federal government shutdown concludes, Pitt students traveling home for Thanksgiving are still facing uncertainty and disruption.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shutdown, which began on Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass a spending bill for the 2026 fiscal year<\/a>, recently became the longest shutdown in U.S. history<\/a>. About 670,000 federal employees were furloughed<\/a>, while roughly 730,000 continued to work without pay \u2014 many of whom were air traffic controllers<\/a> and Transportation Security Administration<\/a> agents. As a result, airports saw longer TSA lines, flight cancellations and a multitude of delays<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Nov. 10, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan funding bill to end the shutdown<\/a>. The bill will keep the government funded through Jan. 30, 2026<\/a>, restore jobs for furloughed federal workers, guarantee back pay and prevent additional layoffs until the funding expires.<\/p>\n Air traffic controller shortages were occurring even before the shutdown<\/a>, which has only added to travel anxieties for those who are returning home for the holidays.\u00a0<\/p>\n Axel Hellman, co-founder of OurBus<\/a>, a bussing company that transports thousands of Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University students home during the holidays, said students were racing to purchase bus tickets early this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cRoughly 1,000 Pitt and Carnegie Mellon students will ride with us this Thanksgiving,\u201d Hellman said. \u201cStudents are booking earlier this year \u2014 likely reflecting the uncertainty hanging over air travel due to the recent government shutdown.\u201d<\/p>\n For Grace Symula, a first-year environmental studies major, planning to travel home for the holidays during the shutdown meant she had to book her flight tickets well in advance.<\/p>\n \u201cI booked my flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas break back in October,\u201d Symula said.<\/p>\n Claire Ellsworth, a first-year psychology major from Lexington, Massachusetts, typically flies from Pittsburgh to Boston. Though her flight home is usually about 90 minutes, she said the shutdown has meant more delays compared to previous travel seasons.<\/p>\n \u201cI have noticed a few things while flying that have to do with the shutdown,\u201d Ellsworth said. \u201cThe TSA lines were never too bad, but pretty much all of my flights always get delayed.\u201d<\/p>\n