US shutdown fears for half-term Ian Taylor


The shutdown of the US government, now into its third week, is causing increasing disruption to flights and delays at immigration, raising concerns about the impact on half-term holidaymakers. USAirtours chief executive Guy


Novik reported “an increase in calls to our on-call duty team overnight and an increase in missed connections” this week due to longer waiting times at immigration. Novik described the impact to


date as “slight”, saying: “There seems little disruption to transatlantic flights.” But more than half of USAirtours customers book single-centre holidays, meaning


the impact is limited to delays at immigration. Major Travel managing director


Qasim Gulamhusein said: “There are some issues in terms of flights, but the shutdown is not on people’s radar.” However, he noted: “It’s not a busy


time for the US, but there is a lot of demand for Orlando in the October half-term. We’ll find out this week and next whether people are disrupted.” US transportation secretary Sean


Duffy threatened to fire air traffic controllers who skip work late last week. He accused those phoning in sick, because they are not being paid, of causing “massive disruption”. Controller shortages at Los


Angeles, Denver and New York Newark airports caused delays, with Los Angeles reporting no controllers


Kuoni says trade growth reflects renewed focus


Juliet Dennis


Kuoni says it has “turned a corner” in its relationship with third-party travel agents as it announced an increased focus on trade sales of Africa and southeast Asia. Third-party agents – which exclude


Kuoni’s own stores – are now the operator’s fastest-growing sales channel. Head of trade partnerships Sarah


Weetman said Kuoni had made “great strides” on third-party agent sales, which the operator had struggled to rebuild immediately post-Covid with fewer resources and staff focused on


4 16 OCTOBER 2025


the trade. The change follows the expansion of Kuoni’s trade sales team to seven in the past two years. Third-party agent sales for the


operator are up 26% for the year to date on last year, with home-based agents now accounting for 40% of trade sales, up from 30% last year. Weetman said: “We have been


able to connect differently with agents, in a more personalised way. We have turned a corner in trust and confidence. I feel we are making great strides on that; we are getting better cut-through because of the size of the team and awareness.”


$2bn Estimated cost to the US travel industry of the shutdown so far


at all from 4.15pm to 10pm on one day. The Federal Aviation Administration also reported delays at Phoenix, Houston, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and Nashville due to staff shortages. The threat to sack air traffic


controllers risks exacerbating the delays amid a shortfall of almost 3,000 US air traffic controllers before the shutdown began on October 1. This had already led


to endemic delays and cancellations. Republican speaker of the House


of Representatives Mike Johnson warned this week: “We’re barrelling toward one of the longest shutdowns in history.” However, the shutdown is already among the longest, with multiple agencies receiving notices of ‘reductions in force’ layoffs. The Smithsonian Institute’s


museums and attractions shut last week, and the US Travel Association estimated the cost of the shutdown to the industry at almost $2 billion at the start of this week. The administration laid off


more than 1,000 employees at the Centers for Disease Control last week, including teams working on infectious disease outbreaks, before abruptly reversing the decision.


Mark Duguid


Managing director Mark Duguid,


who launched the operator’s new identity and branding in January, added: “There was huge appetite from the trade [for premium tailor-made worldwide product].” The operator is now focused


on increasing sales for destinations including southeast Asia and Africa by promoting multi-centre itineraries, while maintaining the Indian Ocean as its strongest-selling region. Weetman said: “We now want to


talk about other destinations where we have not been as proactive.” The operator has already


Sarah Weetman


introduced a more affordable range of itineraries in southeast Asia, particularly focused on Thailand, and it plans to hold two Passport To Africa trade events this month. These will be held in Dorking and


Newcastle for up to 25 agents, with interview-style sessions with Kuoni’s product managers and the chance to quiz its destination experts. “For Africa we are being bold,”


said Weetman. “We’re going back to Kuoni’s heartland – it was our first destination 60 years ago. Our ambition is to double our Africa sales in 2026 through the trade.”


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Steve Dunlop


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