Last week, the F.A.A. announced it was bringing back furloughed inspectors and other employees in order to ensure safety. Its revised shutdown plan called for having 3,113 employees responsible for aviation safety designated as essential to protect life and safety, meaning that they would work without pay during the shutdown rather than be furloughed.

The F.A.A.’s original shutdown plan called for only 216 aviation safety positions to be considered essential for life and safety. The union representing inspectors had warned that furloughing those workers was hurting the safety of the air travel system.

There are still plenty of F.A.A. employees who have been sidelined. Over all, about 14,000 of the F.A.A.’s 45,000 employees are furloughed under the revised shutdown plan.

What about airport security?

More than 40,000 transportation security officers — employees of the Department of Homeland Security who screen passengers at the airports — have worked through the shutdown. But they have been failing to show up for their shifts at a rising rate — about one in 10 were absent on Sunday. On average, they make less than $40,000 a year and many of them have had to borrow money, seek side jobs or turn to food pantries to get by.

Despite reassurances from Transportation Security Administration officials, the agency did have a lapse in early January that frightened travelers. A woman passed through a screening checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport with a gun that she carried onto a flight that landed Jan. 3 in Tokyo.

The agency later said that any perception that the shutdown caused the failure to detect the gun, which was in a carry-on bag, “would be false.” No similar lapses have been reported during the shutdown.

Why are air traffic controllers so worried?

Staffing was already an issue even before the shutdown, their union said.

The number of certified controllers is at a 30-year low, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. The centralized radar facility for the airports that serve New York City, which is known as a Tracon, has only about 130 controllers, far short of its full complement of 228, said Rich Santa, a regional vice president of the controllers’ union. And 50 of them are eligible to retire now, he said.

WASHINGTON — With the longest shutdown in U.S. history officially over, here’s a look at how the federal government will get back to regular business:

When will federal workers get paid?

It’s unclear at this time. The White House tweeted that it will be “in the coming days.”

Some 800,000 workers were furloughed or required to work without pay. They will receive back pay.

While the Trump administration is promising to pay federal workers as soon as possible, a senior official says agencies are in charge of their own payroll issues and workers should check with their departments for details about when the back pay will arrive.

From Coulter to Pelosi, here’s how pundits and lawmakers reacted to the deal ending government shutdown

Under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act that Trump signed into law on Jan. 16, workers are to get their back pay “as soon as possible after the lapse in appropriations ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates.” That means they shouldn’t have to wait for their next payday to get those back wages.

The Office of Management and Budget instructed agencies Friday night to ensure they had adequate staff on hand to support payroll processes and to answer employees’ benefit questions as they return to work.

How soon before the Smithsonian museums reopen?

The Smithsonian tweeted that all of its museums and the National Zoo will reopen Tuesday, Jan. 29 at their regularly scheduled times.

What about the national parks?

Many remained open during the shutdown, but at reduced staffing levels. Theresa Pierno, president and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association, said some parks suffered “terrible damage” during the shutdown. One of the first jobs for park workers will be to assess that damage.

“The damage done to our parks will be felt for weeks, months or even years,” she said.

P. Daniel Smith, Deputy Director of the National Park Service, said “the National Park Service is preparing to resume regular operations nationwide though the schedule for individual parks may vary depending on staff size and complexity of operations.

“Many parks which have been accessible throughout the lapse in appropriations remain accessible with basic services,” he said. “Visitors should contact individual parks or visit park websites for their opening schedules and the latest information on accessibility and visitor services. Some parks which have been closed throughout the lapse in appropriations may not reopen immediately, but we will work to open all parks as quickly as possible.”

Will air travelers get a break soon too?

The shutdown had become a source of growing alarm for travelers and airlines. The absence rate among airport screeners peaked at 10 percent last weekend, meaning longer lines. On Friday, the absence of six air traffic control workers contributed to massive delays along the East Coast. LaGuardia Airport in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were particularly affected, and delays rippled outward from there — about 3,000 late flights by midafternoon. The end of the shutdown should relieve those problems. That said, the Transportation Security Administration has emphasized that the large majority of passengers haven’t suffered from the shutdown. The TSA said that only 3.7 percent of travelers screened Wednesday — or about 65,000 people — waited 15 minutes or longer.

When will the president deliver his State of the Union address?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she will discuss a date with President Donald Trump once the government is open. She did not provide any further details Friday, except to say “I’ll look forward to doing that and welcoming the president to the House of Representatives for the State of the Union.”

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A quote by Socrates, recorded in Phaedo, reads: “Well then, my friend to begin with, the earth when seen from above is said to look like those balls that are covered with twelve pieces of leather; it is divided into patches of various colours, of which the colours which we see here may be regarded as samples, such as painters use.

“And in this fair earth the things that grow, the trees, and flowers and fruits, are correspondingly beautiful; and so too the mountains and the stones are smoother, and more transparent and more lovely in colour than ours.”

As a result, some have interpreted this as being a sign that Socrates, who lived from 470 BC to 399 BC, had been on a plane and seen the world from above – potentially even from space.

Website Ancient Origins said: “Socrates’ description of the earth appearing like a colourful ball from above sounds a lot like the planet Earth viewed from orbit to modern ears.

Several major U.S. airports, including LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport, are experiencing significant delays Friday morning due to air traffic controller staffing issues. The delays are expected to range from 30 minutes to about an hour, according to an official site that lists major flight delay information.

It’s unclear if the staffing issues are directly related to the ongoing partial government shutdown, during which air traffic controllers are working without pay. However, Friday marked the second missed paycheck in a row for federal employees, including controllers, who work for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Air traffic controllers who spoke with TIME said they believed the staffing problems are related to the shutdown, and that the problem could worsen.

“We are starting to see the breakdown of the system as a result of the shutdown,” said one air traffic controller, who was not authorized to speak to the media.

“It’s obvious that it’s related to the shutdown,” says Bob Ocon, a 63-year-old traffic management support specialist and former air traffic controller from Wading River, New York. “For the first time in a long time, I’ve seen the FAA publicly say that, what we call traffic management programs, delay programs — that’s basically how we control traffic, by delaying and regulating the flow — it’s the first time I’ve ever saw them publicly say that’s due to staffing.”

Ocon, who is considered non-essential and has not been working during the shutdown himself, added that despite their lack of pay, many controllers are working overtime hours, taking away time they might otherwise use to find alternative income and worsening the relative pain of a missed paycheck. Control towers and centers were understaffed before the shutdown, he said, and the shutdown is only making matters worse.

Some air travelers said on Twitter Friday morning that pilots had informed them the delays are shutdown related. Friday’s weather may be further complicating matters.

On my SWA flight home to San Antonio one of the pilots (or crew) announced that due to the government shutdown there’s a staffing shortage w/ respect to air traffic control and some planes are being rerouted to accommodate the situation. Says they loaded extra fuel just in case.

— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) January 25, 2019

An FAA spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment. Representatives from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees LaGuardia and Newark airports, as well as Philadelphia International Airport, also did not immediately return a request for comment. A representative for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the controllers’ union, also did not immediately return a request for comment.

As of Friday morning, the staffing issues are occurring at the Washington ARTCC (Air Route Traffic Control Center) and at the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center, both of which are facilities that control aircraft while they’re flying at high altitudes between airports. Because of the highly interconnected nature of the national airspace system, staffing issues and other problems in one geographic area can have consequences for far-flung airports and other facilities.

If they are related to the shutdown, Friday’s delays could be the first of a painful period for travelers. Air traffic controllers who spoke with TIME on Thursday said that, if controllers are forced out of the job by the lack of pay due to the shutdown, it could cause massive air travel delays. Controllers prioritize safety, they said, and can only handle so much traffic at one time. If fewer controllers show up to work, the controllers who are working may be forced to delay departures and arrivals in order to decrease the amount of traffic they’re managing at a single time, causing delays.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that President Donald Trump has been briefed on Friday morning’s delays.

The White House says President Donald Trump has briefed on airport delays amid the extended partial government shutdown. “We are in regular contact with officials at the Department of Transportation and the FAA,” she said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.

Some politicians are already using Friday’s air travel issues as a shutdown talking point. While it’s legally possible for Congress to pass a bill that would pay controllers, it’s more likely that politicians will use travel delays as a bargaining chip in the ongoing battle over reopening the government. “The #TrumpShutdown has already pushed hundreds of thousands of Americans to the breaking point,” tweeted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “Now it’s pushing our airspace to the breaking point too.”

The #TrumpShutdown has already pushed hundreds of thousands of Americans to the breaking point. Now it’s pushing our airspace to the breaking point too.

.@realDonaldTrump, stop endangering the safety, security and well-being of our nation. Re-open government now!

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 25, 2019

Other air travel-related workers, including TSA officers, are also experiencing higher than normal rates of “sickouts” during the shutdown.

Write to Alex Fitzpatrick at alex.fitzpatrick@time.com.

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JetBlue‘s chief executive has some of the strongest words yet about the partial US government shutdown‘s impact on air travel.

The airline’s day-to-day operations had “not seen a significant impact” in bookings or operations, Robin Hayes told investors and analysts Thursday on JetBlue’s fourth-quarter earnings call.

He warned, however, that it was “close to a tipping point” as many security screeners, air traffic controllers, and other federal aviation workers were “about to miss a second paycheck.”

That became reality Friday, when hundreds of thousands of federal workers missed their second paycheck because of the partial government shutdown that is now on day 35 with no end in sight.

Transportation Security Administration workers, perhaps the most public of federal aviation workers who have been working without pay, have been calling out of work at increasing rates in recent weeks. Over the Monday holiday this week, the absence rate hit a record-breaking 10%— or more than 3,000 employees — compared with a more normal 3.1% from the prior year.

That’s caused longer wait times at some airports, including in Atlanta, where millions of football fans are expected to travel for the Super Bowl next weekend.

“Our crew members and customers are likely to face extended security lines, flight delays, and even cancellations,” Hayes said. “And the longer this goes on, the longer it will take for the air travel infrastructure to rebound.”

Behind the scenes, air traffic controllers, already understaffed, have also been working without pay. Despite small shows of support from Canadian counterparts in the form of pizza, many federal workers — air traffic controllers included — have been heading to food pantries as they attempt to make ends meet without an income.

The union that represents air traffic controllers this week issued a dire warning over passenger safety.

“We cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break,” leaders said.

“Our nation’s leaders must find a resolution to this stalemate today,” Hayes said. “We will be closely monitoring the events and will provide any updates if needed.”

Lapsed food benefits for millions, courts system on the brink, and the potential for recession: other effects of the shutdown

• The former White House aide Anthony Scaramucci warned that the partial shutdown could put America’s economy into a recession if it continued for another month.
• John Kelly, the former White House chief of staff, publicly asked Trump and Congress to end the shutdown, specifically citing its effects on the Department of Homeland Security.
• Because of the shutdown, Trump became the first president in US history to be disinvited from delivering the State of the Union address.
• New car models may not be rolled out during the shutdown.
• FBI agents gave shocking warnings about how the shutdown could affect safety in the US.
• By the end of this week, the shutdown could end up costing more than the $5.7 billion Trump wants for the border wall.
• The government has been left powerless in dealing with product recalls, potentially putting customers in dangerous situations.
• Schools are worried about being able to feed children their lunches if the shutdown continues.
• Cybersecurity experts say the shutdown is putting the US is at greater risk of attack.
• Secret Service agents are working with no pay, with some saying that they are struggling to make ends meet and that job performance could be affected.
• National parks are facing piles of trash and damaged trees.

Read Business Insider’s full coverage of the shutdown here.

The Federal Aviation Administration briefly halted flights into New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Friday morning, with ripple effects elsewhere on the East Coast, because of a shortage of air traffic controllers amid a partial shutdown of the federal government that has forced them to work without pay since Dec. 22.

“We have experienced a slight increase in sick leave at two facilities,” an FAA spokesperson said in a statement. “We’ve mitigated the impact by augmenting staffing, rerouting traffic, and increasing spacing between aircraft when needed.”

The spokesperson said the two facilities were the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center in Leesburg, Va., which maintains flight separation and sequences arrivals and departures on some of the busiest routes on the East Coast, and a center in Jacksonville, Fla., that handles the same job for a broad swathe of the Southeast.

The staffing shortfalls led the FAA to order a ground stop to planes bound for LaGuardia shortly before 10 a.m., with flights resuming at a slower rate later in the morning. According to an FAA airport status website, arriving flights at LaGuardia have been delayed by an average of 86 minutes, while departing flights were experiencing gate hold and taxi delays between 15 minutes and a half hour.

Departures have been impacted at East Coast airports that serve LaGuardia, including Orlando International, Miami and Philadelphia. Weather-related arrival delays at Newark International of 46 minutes to an hour were also causing disruption.

The staffing shortfall at the air traffic control centers comes after federal workers missed a second paycheck Friday due to the shutdown. About 420,000 workers deemed essential have been instructed to work without pay, including air traffic controllers and security screeners from the Transportation Security Administration. TSA workers have been taking sick leave in rising numbers, leading to longer security lines at some airports, but this is the first time that absences of air traffic controllers have disrupted flights.

The TSA said that 7.5% of its airport screeners were absent from work Wednesday, up from 3% on the same day a year ago.

“This is exactly what [we] and other aviation unions have been warning would happen,” Sara Nelson, president of The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, said in a statement Friday. “Do we have your attention now, Leader McConnell? All lawmakers?” 

Aviation unions warned in a joint statement Wednesday that the government shutdown was undermining safety. “In our risk averse industry, we cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break,” said the statement from unions representing air traffic controllers, pilots and flight attendants. “It is unprecedented.”

Staffing among air traffic controllers was already at a 30-year low, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, and the shutdown has forced the FAA to halt hiring and shutter its training academy.

CHICAGO — Union leaders said the air safety environment is deteriorating by the day due to the government shutdown.

A warning was issued Wednesday from the unions representing air traffic controllers, pilots and flight attendants nationwide. The joint statement said:

“In our risk averse industry, we cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break. It is unprecedented.”

“If this continues, we’re going to see a catastrophic failure in the system,” Dan Carrico, president of NATCA at O’Hare International Airport, said. “I can’t tell you when, or how, but I can tell you that the stress and the fatigue that my air controllers at O’Hare are experiencing, and throughout the country, it’s going to lead to us to miss something.”

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin met with air traffic controllers in Aurora and said working without pay is not only unfair but also dangerous.

“The stress this is putting on these men and women is unacceptable. We want to make sure that they can focus on their jobs. Instead of focusing on whose going to pay for the medical bills for for their children,” he said.

The shutdown has dragged on for more than a month, raising serious concerns about staffing levels.

At O’Hare and Midway International Airport, TSA agents received some help from the Salvation Army.

They served warm meals for those bearing the financial pain of the dysfunction in Washington.

“Typically when we respond to a disaster it’s usually a flood, or a home thats been destroyed, or flood, or tornado or a hurricane. What’s been taken away is their income,” Major David Dalberg, Salvation Army, said.

The union has repeated the call for Congress and the White House to take the necessary steps to end the shutdown immediately.

Traveling to locations where road signs are posted in foreign languages is something we like to do. These trips are usually accomplished by flying through the clouds in big airplanes.

I don’t much enjoy flying in little planes, though. I’d almost rather stay on the ground than glide through the skies in one of those. I’m still haunted by an unpleasant experience on a small plane from about 50 years ago.

There were just a couple of us and the pilot on board for that trip. It was a safe journey, even though my view through the side window seemed somewhat tilted from time to time. We were headed to a venue where the President would speak, and I was anxious to get there. As the plane carefully descended, my ears sensed a problem even before I became dizzy and broke out in a cold sweat. I reached for an air sickness bag, and quickly used it. By the time we were stepping out of the plane, I felt refreshed and was holding a neatly closed bag. A Congressman greeted me with a handshake. I extended my right hand to him, keeping my left hand behind my back where I held the bag.

Motion sickness is something that’s not bothered me on commercial passenger planes. Big planes don’t usually cause me any worry.

Years ago, though, there was a bit of concern before takeoff. I was on a plane in Connecticut, ready to return home. The plane was a large one and it was full. Just before we were about to begin our flight, an announcement was made. It seemed the plane was 400 pounds over a weight limit. Vouchers for a later flight, along with an extra refund, were offered to volunteers who would get off the plane. I studied those who left, to be assured their combined weight was well over 400 pounds.

These days it seems planes are rarely overbooked or rarely need volunteer bumps. There have been times, though, when my wife and I have given up our seats and earned complimentary flights.

Then there was that unusual incident on a flight back to the States from Amsterdam. A steward came down the aisle, carrying a drink order. He accidentally spilled some from the cup onto a fellow’s pants. The steward apologized. The man assured him it was no problem. That seemed to be the end of that, but after a while, the steward returned with a voucher. He handed it to my fellow passenger and told him the airline would like to give him a free roundtrip. For the remainder of the flight, I was hoping the steward would return with another drink and spill some on me. He was more careful and I didn’t dare try to trip him, so I didn’t score such a freebie.

Still, we always enter contests and promotions for free travel. I’ve only won a set of luggage. My wife has been luckier. She’s won a trip to Rome and a couple of airline tickets to California. Neither of us have won anything recently. We’re slipping.

So these days we accumulate points toward hotel stays and miles toward airline flights through various purchase methods. Then, often through tedious research on the internet, we sometimes locate complimentary or discounted travel opportunities.

The ordeal is not complete simply after finding the special deals. Skillfully using the accumulated points and miles and discounts becomes another challenge.

After having our first few excursions booked by a travel agent, my wife concluded, “I can do that.” So these days, she searches our options. She considers everything from available seats (Can we find seats next to the wing?) to the time needed to switch planes (Can we fly from Copenhagen to London and then with only an hour and a half, board the plane to fly home?), and studies other seemingly mundane, yet important, aspects of traveling.

I appreciate my favorite traveling companion’s knack for solving such puzzles. Her efforts have contributed toward our enjoyment of several travel experiences.

The strain of a 34-day partial government shutdown is weighing on the nation’s air-travel system, both the federal workers who make it go and the airlines that depend on them.

Air traffic controllers and airport security agents continue to work without pay — they will miss a second biweekly paycheck on Friday — but high absentee rates raise the threat of long airport lines, or worse.

Unions that represent air traffic controllers, flight attendants and pilots are growing concerned about safety with the shutdown well into its fifth week. Airline executives say they are worried that long airport lines could scare off passengers. The economic damage, while small, is starting to show up in their financial reports.

Federal workers say going without pay is grinding them down, and they’re not sure how much longer they can take it.

“The stress is getting to everyone,” said Al Zamborsky, a radar specialist at Reagan National Airport outside Washington.

Zamborsky said co-workers are preoccupied with the shutdown and their personal finances. Safety isn’t compromised, he said, but efficiency has suffered.

The presidents of unions representing air traffic controllers, pilots and flight attendants outlined their security concerns in a prepared statement.

“We have a growing concern for the safety and security of our members, our airlines, and the traveling public due to the government shutdown,” they said. “In our risk-averse industry, we cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break.”

The Transportation Safety Administration said 7.5 percent of its airport security officers scheduled to work on Wednesday did not show up. That is down from Sunday’s 10 percent absent rate but more than double the 3 percent rate of the comparable Wednesday in 2018.

TSA has resorted to sending backup officers to beef up staffing at some airports and at times closing a couple of checkpoints at major airports. TSA said that only 3.7 percent of travelers screened Wednesday — or about 65,000 people — waited 15 minutes or longer.

Air traffic controllers are hired by the Federal Aviation Administration.

“We have seen no unusual increased absenteeism and there are no operational disruptions due to staffing,” said FAA spokesman Greg Martin said. He declined to provide figures.

The impact to airlines’ business has been small so far. Southwest Airlines said Thursday that the shutdown has cost it $10 million to $15 million in lost revenue. The airline had $5.7 billion revenue in the fourth quarter. Delta Air Lines, which had $10.7 billion in fourth-quarter revenue, expects to lose $25 million in sales this month.

However, there are other effects. The shutdown is holding up Southwest’s plans to begin flights from California to Hawaii — the FAA regulators who must approve the long, over-water flights are not working during the shutdown. Delta’s service using new planes is also likely to be pushed back because FAA officials are off the job.

Airlines are walking a fine line: They fear more financial harm if the shutdown continues, but they do not want to alarm passengers.

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly called the shutdown “maddening.”

“This shutdown could harm the economy and it could harm air travel,” Kelly said. “This is crazy, it just absolutely needs to end.” He said the airline would do its best “to work through this slop and contain the damage.”

Kelly and Doug Parker, the CEO of American Airlines, said the shutdown has not affected safety. However, if the shutdown leads to fewer TSA agents or air traffic controllers on the job, Parker said, “you get long lines at TSA but still the same level of screening, you get larger separation (in the air) of aircraft, so you have delayed airspace — things that are really concerning to us. That is what we fear may happen.”

Parker urged government officials to resolve the shutdown so that customers don’t have to fear “delays at the airport because air traffic controllers that can’t afford to show up to work.”

The toll is greatest, of course, on the federal workers who are going without paychecks.

“I have an 8-year-old son who asked me, ‘Hey Dad, what are we going to do to pay our mortgage? Are we going to lose our house?’” said Mike Christine, an air traffic controller in Leesburg, Virginia. “That is not something an 8-year-old should be saying.”

Christine’s wife is a federal worker who is also about to miss her second paycheck.