Written by Delaney Coleman.
The longest government shutdown (43 days) has finally ended. The bill that ended the shutdown was signed into law by President Trump on November 12th, 2025. Major airports, such as MCO, are slowly recovering, but operations are expected to return to normal in the upcoming weeks.
As the government reopens and starts to operate properly again, normalcy will be achieved much later than anticipated, as flights can still be delayed and federal workers are awaiting back pay.
The hope is that everything will return to normal in around six weeks; however, some agencies, such as national parks, have lost significant amounts of visitor revenue, and there are weeks of backlogged tax refunds for citizens waiting at the IRS.
SNAP benefits remain uncertain, as budget cuts have been discussed and ruled on by the Supreme Court. The full month affected by the shutdown should be paid, eventually pausing the order until the shutdown concludes. Some states have received a month’s worth of SNAP benefits; yet other states are unsure whether full payments will resume.
As the holidays approach, concerns have arisen about air travel being affected, with flights being at risk of cancellation or rescheduled during crucial times. In fact, MCO posted on their social media alerting the public that they may be subject to a decrease in flight activity.
Even with the government up and running again, it is not a guarantee that the airports will bounce back immediately. Passengers are still encouraged to check any updates from their airline.
Recently, the busiest airports have reduced air traffic by 10%, as the government reopening will see a delay in reversing what was changed during the shutdown.
With Thanksgiving and the end of the semester around the corner, it is again advised that passengers check for any updates provided by their airlines, as flights are not guaranteed to maintain the scheduled time and availability.
And while at MCO, keep in mind that the airport’s Gate Link vehicles may be replaced in the next few weeks. Any passengers requiring transit between terminals should plan for ample time when traveling to and from Orlando.
When traveling during this holiday season, use caution. Anything can happen in this world, so be alert to your surroundings.
