March 15, 2026 — Washington, D.C. CEOs of 10 major U.S. passenger and cargo airlines published an open letter to Congress, urging an immediate funding agreement for the Department of Homeland Security to end the 29-day partial government shutdown affecting approximately 50,000 unpaid TSA officers. The executives highlighted long security lines of two to four hours at major airports amid record spring travel projections of 171 million passengers.
The letter, also published in The Washington Post and shared by Airlines for America, was signed by leaders including Southwest Airlines’ Bob Jordan, United Airlines’ Scott Kirby, Delta Air Lines’ Ed Bastian, American Airlines’ Robert Isom, and others from UPS, JetBlue, Alaska Air, FedEx, Atlas Air, and Airlines for America President Christopher T. Sununu.
TSA officers just received $0 paychecks. That is simply unacceptable. 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.
The CEOs cited polling by AlphaROC, Inc. from March 9-10 showing 93% public support for paying federal aviation workers during shutdowns and 88% expecting repeated long lines without pay guarantees.
Shutdown Impacts on Air Travel
The second partial shutdown in six months, stemming from disputes over DHS funding tied to immigration enforcement, has led to doubled TSA absences and more than 300 officer quits since February 13, per Reuters. Security wait times exceeded two hours at airports like Houston Hobby and New Orleans, with airlines holding flights to mitigate delays, as reported by UPI.
The executives called air travel a “political football” and pressed for passage of the Aviation Funding Solvency Act, Aviation Funding Stability Act for air traffic controllers, and Keep America Flying Act for TSA and customs officers.
Broader Coverage and Reactions
Associated Press and USA Today covered the bipartisan push ahead of spring break, FIFA World Cup 2026, and America’s 250th birthday celebrations. Fox News noted criticism of lawmakers, while Wall Street Journal focused on ongoing delays. Social media amplification included posts from USA Today.
The letter emphasized high stakes with record travel, stating:
Too many travelers are having to wait in extraordinarily long—and painfully slow—lines at checkpoints. Wait times of 2, 3 and even 4 hours have been reported.
No resolution was reported as of March 16.
