❓WHAT HAPPENED: Delta Air Lines has urged Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution to end the Senate Democrats’ government shutdown and ensure air traffic controllers are paid.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Delta Air Lines and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The government shutdown began on October 1, 2025; discussions and appeals continue as of late October.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Missed paychecks only increases the stress on these essential workers, many of whom are already working mandatory overtime to keep our skies safe and secure,” Delta said in a statement.
🎯IMPACT: The shutdown is contributing to financial uncertainty for air traffic controllers and TSA officers, while posing risks to the National Airspace System.
Delta Air Lines has called on Congress to “immediately pass a clean continuing resolution” to end the ongoing Democrat-initiated government shutdown and ensure air traffic controllers are paid. The airline’s statement comes as the shutdown enters its fourth week, leaving essential workers without paychecks.
“Missed paychecks only increases the stress on these essential workers, many of whom are already working mandatory overtime to keep our skies safe and secure,” Delta said on Thursday. Delta CEO Ed Bastian previously warned that a prolonged shutdown could negatively affect the airline’s operations.
Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, highlighted the risks posed by the shutdown, citing a staffing shortage of 3,800 controllers below the FAA’s target. “Every day the shutdown continues, the National Airspace System becomes less safe than it was the day before,” Daniels wrote earlier this week.
Air traffic controllers and TSA officers, deemed essential employees, are required to work during the shutdown without receiving regular paychecks. However, absences among essential employees often spike during shutdowns.
The National Pulse reported on Monday that approximately 2,800 flights were delayed, and 109 flights were canceled across the United States due to air traffic controller shortages stemming from the shutdown. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that a four-week shutdown could cost the economy $7 billion, with even greater losses projected if the impasse continues.
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