Welcome to the spring of travel hell

Airline executives are warning of higher fares as Iran effectively blocks the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for oil and other global commodities.

• "The reality is, jet fuel prices have more than doubled in the last three weeks," United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a Friday statement.
• "Our plans assume oil goes to $175/barrel and doesn't get back down to $100/barrel until the end of 2027."

Yes, but: Oil prices dipped but remained high Monday morning after Trump announced a five-day pause on strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure.

• That détente that could be an early step towards reopening Hormuz.
• Or the Iran war could continue for weeks or months. Always in motion is the future.

Airports are reeling from massive security delays tied to a partial government shutdown as Congress debates immigration enforcement reform.

• TSA screeners are working without pay, and about to miss their second paycheck.
• Many are calling out, while hundreds have left the job altogether — presumably to find paid work and put food on the table.
• Similar problems plagued the air traffic control world during last year's full government shutdown.

What they're saying: Jeffrey Price, an aviation security expert, tells Axios' Avery Lotz that "we're very close to reaching a breaking point."

• Price says that closures at smaller airports are a real possibility. Larger airports can reassign staff, he says, while smaller fields generally can't.

Friction point: Trump is sending ICE agents to hard-hit airports this week in an effort to resolve the hours-long delays.

• But they're not trained as airport screeners, and it's unclear how effective or helpful they'll actually be.

• ICE agents' behavior during recent massive immigration crackdowns in Minnesota and elsewhere could also fuel safety worries for some travelers.
• Trump told reporters Monday: "I want to thank ICE because they stepped in so strongly. They'll do great. And if that's not enough, we'll bring in the the National Guard."

Flight safety fears are cropping up once again after another deadly incident — this time at New York's LaGuardia Airport.

• Two pilots were killed late Sunday after ramming into an emergency vehicle as they landed.
• Both the aircraft and the vehicle were cleared to use the runway, per air traffic control audio recordings.

It will take time for investigators to sort out the root cause.

• But it's already putting air traffic controller workload and staffing issues in the spotlight, just over a year after the fatal midair collision near Washington, D.C., did the same.

The bottom line: Maybe it's road trip season — if you can afford to fill up.