A Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-200 flies past the Capitol dome in Washington as it lands at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on November 9, 2025.
Bill Clark | Cq-roll Call Inc. | Getty Images
There are no empty benefits!
delta airlines The airline announced Tuesday that it has suspended airport escort and red coat services for members of Congress and staff as the Department of Homeland Security continues its partial shutdown.
The move comes a week after Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian, in an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” accused Congress of failing to approve salaries for Transportation Security Administration employees during the shutdown, including the TSA.
“Due to the resource impacts of the long-standing government shutdown, Delta Air Lines is temporarily suspending special services for members of Congress,” Delta Air Lines said in a statement to CNBC.
“Next to safety, Delta’s top priority is caring for our employees and customers, which is becoming increasingly difficult in the current environment,” the airline said in a statement.
Delta Air Lines’ actions were first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Delta’s Capital Desk, a reservation line for lawmakers and staff, remains open.
But for now, these customers will be treated like other passengers based on their SkyMiles status.
The move comes amid extremely long security lines at airports across the country, including major hubs in major cities such as Atlanta, where Delta Air Lines is based, due to increased absenteeism among TSA employees who will not receive their second full paycheck this week.
“It’s unacceptable that security and frontline workers who are essential to our operations are not being paid, and it’s ridiculous to see them being used as political fodder,” Bastian told CNBC last week.
“So we’re furious,” Bastian said.
“And if there’s a call for action here — and I think over 90 percent of the American people support these people getting paid — ask our people here in Washington to do their jobs and get our people paid. They can do that,” the CEO said.
united airlines“There are no changes we are announcing today,” he told CNBC when asked if he had ended similar benefits for members of Congress.
CNBC has reached out for comment. american airlines About services for members of Congress.
Airline executives have been slamming lawmakers in recent months, urging them to ensure that essential government workers like TSA workers are paid during the increasingly common shutdowns.
Repeated funding gridlocks, including in early 2019 and as recently as last fall, ended shortly after increasing absenteeism among government employees who had to work without pay.
