Business
Airlines plead for end of government shutdown as unpaid air traffic controllers prepare for busy holiday travel
The government shutdown is completing its first full month, and airlines have just about had enough.
Aviation industry leaders are urging Congress to end the shutdown out of concern for the wellbeing of air traffic controllers working without pay, as well as on air travel ahead of a busy holiday season.
“It’s putting stress on people. It’s not fair to those people. It’s also putting stress on the economy,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told reporters outside of the White House on Thursday. “Airlines are a pretty good real-time indicator of the economy, and we start to see, still minor, but steep booking impact. And you see that happening in the economy. We put the whole economy at risk.”
Kirby called for bipartisan agreement on a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government. He, as well as industry leaders like Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Chris Sununu, the former Republican governor of New Hampshire and current CEO of industry trade group Airlines for America, met with Vice President JD Vance on Thursday to discuss the impact on the government shutdown on aviation, Bloomberg reported.
American Airlines confirmed to Fortune that CEO Robert Isom was in attendance at the Thursday meeting. The airline said air traffic controllers working without pay was “unacceptable.”
“Congress needs to reach a bipartisan agreement to re-open the government as quickly as possible to pay our air traffic controller, [Transportation Security Administration], and [Customs and Border Protection] colleagues,” the airline told Fortune in a statement. “The quickest way to end this shutdown and get these workers paid is by passing a clean continuing resolution. A prolonged shutdown will lead to more delays and cancellations—and the American people, especially during the busy holiday season, deserve better.”
Strain on air traffic controllers and travelers
Aviation has remained a flashpoint during the government shutdown, with more than 13,000 air traffic controllers, deemed essential workers, working without pay, mounting stress on employees already navigating an ongoing shortage for more than a decade. Before the shutdown, 91% of U.S. air traffic control centers operated below the Federal Aviation Administration’s recommended staffing levels. During the shutdown, many are working six-day weeks of 60 hours or more.
Air traffic controllers received their last paycheck on Tuesday, and are feeling the financial pressures of working without wages. Some have resorted to becoming restaurant servers and Uber drivers on the side to make ends meet.
“It’s a world where they are now not only leaning on each other, they’re leaning on getting other jobs, going to their primary job in the day, and then in the evening, going out and having to do some level of a secondary job,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told Fortune.
Some workers have held “sick-outs,” refusing to work until they are paid. These absences have already caused disruptions to air travel. According to Flightaware.com, there were more than 7,300 flight delays to and from U.S. airports on Thursday, as well as more than 1,250 cancellations.
The shutdown will approach a record-setting length, approaching its 34th day on Monday, when the Senate reconvenes, matching the longest funding lapse in U.S. history. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the shutdown could account for nearly $14 billion in losses to the real GDP that will not be recouped. While more than 700,000 government employees are going without pay during this period, others, including ICE agents, will still receive checks.
As the White House continues to pressure Democrats to end the shutdown, many Americans believe the onus to resolve the funding lapse is on Republicans. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll this week found 45% of U.S. adults believe Trump and the GOP are primarily responsible for the shutdown. One-third of respondents blamed Democrats, and 22% weren’t sure.
