Delta Air Lines said on Tuesday that it would suspend special services for members of Congress, citing the impact on resources from 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 airlines’ 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 shutter.
On Monday, President Trump deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to some U.S. airports, saying that they would help ease long security lines. By Monday afternoon, the lines at the Atlanta, New York LaGuardia and Newark airports had become so long that those airports removed wait time estimates from their websites. Atlanta’s airport advised passengers to allow for 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 T.S.A. officers during the shutdown. In a subsequent interview with CNBC, Delta’s chief executive, Ed Bastian, said he was “outraged” by the fact that so many T.S.A. officers were going without pay.
“It’s inexcusable that our security agents, our frontline agents, that are essential to what we do, are not being paid,” Mr. Bastian said. “It’s ridiculous to see them being used as political chips,” he added, calling on lawmakers to quickly resolve the situation.
Livia Albeck-Ripka is a Times reporter based in Los Angeles, covering breaking news, California and other subjects.
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