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FAA, TSA Staff in Springfield Airport Working Without Pay Due to Shutdown

Springfield-Branson National Airport
Credit Springfield-Branson National Airport

The government shutdown is affecting workers at the Springfield-Branson National Airport, including security staff who check bags and air traffic controllers.

Employees of both the FAA and the TSA in Springfield continue to work without pay as the national government shutdown continues.Kent Boyd, spokesperson for the Springfield-Branson National Airport, says the airport is functioning smoothly at this time, but travelers could see slowdowns if the government shutdown persists.

 “It’s gonna be largely a question of how long can they afford to come to work while they are not being paid. If the shutdown goes on long enough, one might think that some folks would have to start making some tough decisions about finances,” Boyd said.   Boyd says the TSA has publicly announced it has a plan in case the shutdown continues.  The airport cannot do anything to fix the situation in Washington, he said, but it will continue to inform the public of any updates. 

Boyd advises passengers to keep track of what’s going on and to get to the airport two or more hours early for their planned flights.

 

The government is partially shut down because Democrats in Congress and the White House could not agree on funding over border security.

 

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Megan started working as a KSMU photo intern in the fall of 2017. She is currently a junior at Missouri State University majoring in journalism and minoring in photography. Also working as a senior reporter and staff photographer for The Standard, she plans to pursue a career in international photojournalism. Megan was born in Tokyo, Japan but grew up in O’Fallon, I