In most areas of life, people don't interact with the federal government on a daily or even a monthly basis. But there are exceptions.

Government — and everybody else — starts paying attention when air travel is compromised. The risks in terms of safety and the business consequences of ignoring such a problem, are simply too great.

This bears notice following the Federal Aviation Administration action on Friday to slowdown the arrival and departure of U.S. flights at major airports in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Infuriated at not being paid as the government shutdown rumbles, air traffic controllers are faking sick.



Even if the FAA manages to mitigate the slowdown this week, as the shutdown continues, more air traffic controllers will say "enough is enough, I'm not working for free." It's hard to blame them.

And at that point, the pressure on the Trump administration, and to a lesser degree on Congress, will increase dramatically. I suspect that the pressure will be enough to force a compromise that ends the shutdown.

Again, the political stakes are too significant when it comes to jeopardizing airline travel. Politicians are aware that these air traffic controller shortages are now making an already stressful job that much more stressful. After all, those remaining at their posts are having to handle more aircraft in the absence of their supporting colleagues. And that means the risks of an accident or error are also increasing. That's because air traffic controllers are handling multiple aircraft at any one time — only skill and numbers prevent catastrophe. But politicians know that if an accident occurs and a link to the shutdown is established, their political futures will be greatly endangered.

Still, the concerns here don't simply rest with safety. Air travel is the means by which a great deal of high-value business is conducted. But if that air travel is slowed down, business will also slow down. As Trump seeks re-election, his best domestic strength is the booming economy. He won't want to risk the economy as 2020 approaches.

That's why today marks the beginning of the end of the shutdown. The flight crisis changes the political calculation for all sides.