Spring travel season kicks off in Philly with plenty of worries
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
The spring travel season is here, and air travelers are confronting skyrocketing prices, concerns over security lines, ICE agents in airports, and safety worries after another fatal incident.
Why it matters: Spring break is next week for the Philly school district's nearly 114,000 students. It's one of the busiest times of the year at Philadelphia International Airport.
The big picture: The ongoing partial government shutdown, combined with an oil price spike from President Trump's Iran war, is fueling a spring of hell for air travelers.
💰 Cost: Airline executives have warned of higher fares as Iran effectively blocks the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for oil and other global commodities.
- Jet fuel accounts for more than 40% of an airline's operating expenses, according to Argus Media, and that could contribute to some potential price increases.
Yes, but: American Airlines — Philly airport's largest carrier — as well as Delta Airlines and United Airlines have all reported record bookings in 2026, and say strong demand is helping offset higher fuel costs.
🚨 Security checkpoints: Three of Philly airport's security checkpoints remain closed as ICE agents arrived to assist TSA officers during the partial government shutdown this week.
- ICE agents are "guarding entrances and exits, assisting with logistics, doing crowd control, and verifying identification using TSA equipment and standard operating procedures," a TSA spokesperson tells Axios.
- Earlier this week, nearly 28% of TSA officers called out at PHL, a DHS spokesperson tells Axios.
- But Philly has largely avoided excessively long wait times during the shutdown, like in Atlanta.
What they're saying: Philly Council President Kenyatta Johnson said ICE agents were "creating an atmosphere of fear" and called on congressional leaders to end the shutdown, per NBC.
What we're watching: Flight safety fears are again emerging 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. The incident is still under investigation.