With the United States government in shutdown since the first day of October, the effects of having no funding are starting to trickle into everything from the military and national parks to the airport experience.

This week, one-third of U.S. airports refused to air a partisan Homeland Security video in which Kristi Noem blames Democratic lawmakers exclusively for the shutdown.

Because TSA workers are essential employees who are required to keep coming into work, the shutdown has largely not yet affected the airline industry.

Some travelers may experience longer lines, as some air traffic controllers and other government workers choose not to come in while they work without paychecks.

“It’s not going to get resolved soon”: United Airlines CEO

But in an Oct. 16 earnings call, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the shutdown could eventually affect flight bookings as travelers “start to lose confidence in the government and the government’s ability to resolve this.”

“I think that at least for the first couple of weeks, people thought it was going to get resolved, so they just kind of continued business as usual,” Kirby told investors.

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When pressed about whether the shutdown would lead to lower consumer confidence, Kirby said a prolonged shutdown can affect everything from workers who are not able to spend on travel when not receiving a paycheck to everyday Americans being more careful with discretionary expenses.

“As time goes on…people read headlines and say, ‘It’s not going to get resolved soon.’ People start to lose confidence in the government and the government’s ability to resolve this. And that’s going to start to impact bookings.”

CEO Scott Kirby has helmed United Airlines since 2020.

Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“Every day that goes by, the risk to the U.S. economy grows”

“Every day that goes by, the risk to the U.S. economy grows, so I hope we will avoid an unforced error here,” Kirby said.

The heads of Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have made similarly broad comments about the damage an extended shutdown can do to the airline industry.

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“I would say that if this doesn’t get resolved, say beyond another 10 days or so, you probably will start to see some impacts,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Oct. 9.

With air traffic controllers similarly deemed essential workers who are still coming into work without a paycheck until the government is reopened, the prolonged period has also seeped into morale as some choose to skip work.

On Oct. 6, Hollywood Burbank International Airport (BUR) in California was left without a single air traffic controller for hours as decades of nationwide understaffing continue to be exacerbated by the shutdown.

While Southern California’s TRACON continued to monitor the airspace around Burbank as is customary in emergency measures, flights operated with major delays, and both travelers and local lawmakers criticized Congress for not negotiating a reopening.

Airports like Newark Liberty (EWR), Austin-Bergstrom (AUS), and San Francisco International (SFO) have all also faced a lack of available air traffic controllers during the shutdown.

Related: National parks with no workers: how the shutdown affects your plans