March 15, 2026 — Washington — Airline CEOs, including American, Delta, Southwest, and JetBlue, demand Congress restore funding to Homeland Security to pay airport workers and end disruptions from the government shutdown. Executives from major U.S. carriers, including United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, FedEx, UPS, and Atlas Air, along with Airlines for America, sent an open letter to Congress urging immediate funding restoration for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) amid a partial government shutdown that began on February 13, leaving roughly 50,000 TSA officers unpaid.
The letter, published in The Washington Post and online, highlights severe disruptions including doubled absenteeism rates, over 300 TSA resignations, and security lines lasting 2-4 hours at airports such as Houston Hobby, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Chicago O’Hare during peak spring break travel, with airlines expecting a record 171 million passengers.
Impacts on Travelers and Operations
TSA officers received zero paychecks, exacerbating staffing shortages. The executives noted:
“Once again, air travel is the political football amid another government shutdown.”
Long lines have led to flight delays and cancellations, with airlines holding planes for late passengers and rebooking others, according to the letter.
Homeland Security attributed over 300 quits to the shutdown, as reported in AP coverage.
Calls for Immediate Action and Legislation
Airline CEOs, including American, Delta, Southwest, and JetBlue, demand Congress restore funding to Homeland Security to pay airport workers and end disruptions from the government shutdown. The letter calls for Congress to fund DHS now and enact bipartisan laws: the Aviation Funding Solvency Act and Aviation Funding Stability Act for air traffic controllers, and the Keep America Flying Act for TSA officers.
“It’s difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car and pay rent when you are not getting paid.”
This marks the third such shutdown in under a year affecting TSA pay, per CNBC.
Signatories and Broader Context
The 10 signers include:
- Robert Isom, American Airlines
- Ed Bastian, Delta Air Lines
- Bob Jordan, Southwest Airlines
- Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue Airways
- Scott Kirby, United Airlines
- Ben Minicucci, Alaska Air Group
- Richard W. Smith, FedEx
- Nando Cesarone, UPS
- Michael Steen, Atlas Air
- Christopher T. Sununu, Airlines for America
Polling cited in the letter shows 93% of Americans support paying federal aviation workers during shutdowns. The story broke on March 15, 2026, addressing TSA staffing shortages and long security lines affecting U.S. air travel, as covered by Reuters and others.
Airline CEOs, including American, Delta, Southwest, and JetBlue, demand Congress restore funding to Homeland Security to pay airport workers and end disruptions from the government shutdown, amid warnings of worsening chaos with upcoming events like the FIFA World Cup.