Delta Air Lines is partly suspending its speciality service desk for members of Congress until funding for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is restored, the airline confirmed on Tuesday, as security lines stretch for hours at airports across the country due to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.
The service desk is used to help members of Congress book flights at special government rates, secure airport escorts and make last-minute changes to flights.
While the exclusive reservation line for members of Congress remains open, the airline is suspending the desk’s airport escort and red coat services during the shutdown, a Delta spokesperson said.
“Next to safety, Delta’s No 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment,” the company said in a statement.
TSA employees have been working without pay due to the partial government shutdown, prompted by disagreements between congressional Democrats and Republicans over funding for the DHS. As the partial shutdown stretches into its second month, unpaid TSA agents have refused to report for duty while airport security lines have spilled outside or snaked throughout entire airports.
Donald Trump deployed immigration enforcement agents in about a dozen cities on Monday to help manage long lines, though the influx of officers didn’t appear to help shorten wait times.
Delta’s largest hub, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta international airport, has experienced particular chaos, with some passengers on Monday reporting that they lined up before sunrise to make mid-morning flights.
Airline CEOs have pleaded with Congress to act swiftly to reach an agreement on the DHS appropriations bill, lamenting that air travel has been turned into “political football amid another government shutdown”.
“This problem is solvable, and there are solutions on the table. Now it’s up to you, Congress, to move forward on bipartisan proposals that will get federal aviation workers – including TSA officers, US customs clearance officers at airports and air traffic controllers – paid during shutdowns,” the CEOs of several airlines, including Delta, wrote in an open letter to Congress earlier this month.
The Senate on Friday passed legislation, introduced by the Republican Texas senator John Cornyn, that would strip congressional members of special perks that have allowed them to skip security lines.
“We know trust in Congress is at an all-time low, but today, thank goodness, the Senate has taken an important step towards restoring the trust of the people we are here to represent,” Cornyn said in a statement.
