Delta Air Lines said that it would suspend special services for members of Congress, citing the partial government shutdown that has hobbled travel across the country.
The services include airport escorts and specialized customer service for lawmakers. The Capital Desk, a dedicated reservations line that helps members book trips at government rates, make last minute changes and reserve seats on multiple flights on the same day, will remain open, the company said in a statement.
“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. Under the suspension, the company added, members of Congress would instead be treated like regular passengers based on their SkyMiles status, which refers to the airline’s customer loyalty program.
Delta’s announcement comes amid a stalemate over funding for the Department of Homeland Security that has left about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers without pay for more than a month, leading to mass absences and long airport wait times, with an agency official warning that small U.S. airports may be forced to close.
On Monday, President Donald Trump deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to some U.S. airports, saying they would help ease long security lines. By Monday afternoon, the lines at airports serving Atlanta and New York City, including LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International in New Jersey, had become so long that those airports removed wait time estimates from their websites. Atlanta’s airport advised passengers to allow at least four hours for security screenings.
Last week, the executives of several airlines, including Delta, published an open letter to Congress in The Washington Post calling on lawmakers to pay TSA officers during the shutdown. In a subsequent interview with CNBC, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said he was “outraged” by the fact that so many TSA officers were going without pay.
“It’s inexcusable that our security agents, our front-line agents, that are essential to what we do, are not being paid,” Bastian said. “It’s ridiculous to see them being used as political chips,” he added, calling on lawmakers to quickly resolve the situation.
A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, whose chief executive also signed the open letter, said he had no comment on whether the airline would follow Delta in removing special perks for members of Congress.
“We are engaged with our federal partners and join the airline industry in urging Congress to fund the TSA and CBP without further delay,” the spokesperson said.