The federal government shutdown, driven by politics and personalities and posturing, is starting to cause a real mess. Particularly for travelers, where a shortage of air traffic controllers has led to delays and cancellations at several airports around the country.

Maybe the bickering blame game will subside long enough this week to restore whatever order is salvageable in Washington, D.C., but it depends on congressional Democrats and Republicans and President Donald Trump putting the public ahead of their own elections grandstanding.

Until then, Americans have reason to worry about the next shoe that will fall out of the political fight and hit them on the head.

Thankfully, Alaska Airlines is flying above the turbulence.

Alaska participates in the Essential Air Service program, which has been around since 1978 to provide federal subsidies to ensure scheduled air service for more than 170 cities nationwide which is not economically viable without the aid.

In Southeast, that includes daily flights to Wrangell and Petersburg, along with Yakutat and Cordova. Alaska Airlines this past spring signed a new two-year contract with the U.S. Department of Transportation to continue operating under the Essential Air Service program.

Of course, no one planned that the government would shut down and the payments to Alaska and other airlines around the country could stop. But that’s what the Department of Transportation announced last month.

That’s like being told your flight could be cancelled and you’re on your own.

Without any certainty of payment, airlines would be justified in scaling back to cut expenses. But at least in Alaska, that’s not happening.

Alaska Airlines and Juneau-based Alaska Seaplanes both said they plan to continue flying their Essential Air Service routes as normal, while they wait for Congress to buckle up, put their electronics in airplane mode and follow the instructions — and behave.

“Despite this potential uncertainty, Alaska Airlines currently plans to continue operating reliable flights as scheduled while the federal government works to resolve the shutdown,” the company said in a prepared statement.

That’s the smoothest landing Wrangell could hope for, no thanks to Congress and the president.