Major U.S. airlines are stepping in to support thousands of federal aviation workers who continue to work without pay amid the ongoing government shutdown. It’s in the interest of every U.S. airline and airport to keep these essential workers happy and I’m impressed that they are stepping in to help by providing free meals.
Meal Ticket: Airlines Step Up Support As Federal Airport Workers Go Unpaid
With the government shutdown now stretching into its fifth week, approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers and an estimated 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers remain on duty but unpaid.
Several major airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines, have begun providing meals and hub-based support for these essential workers. American said it remains “committed” to supporting federal employees through food at its hubs, saying it is “grateful to the air traffic controllers, TSA officers and CBP officers who continue to ensure safe travel—even as they go unpaid.” United says it is “donating meals for air traffic controllers and other federal workers whose pay is delayed.” Meals may be a small gesture, but every penny helps when there is no income pouring in.
By this point, the aviation system is beginning to show strain. The FAA has warned that without pay, fatigue and staffing gaps among controllers are increasing risk. In October, Secretary Sean Duffy noted that while over 90% of controllers reported to work, delays and absences are rising and towers are under increasing pressure. Airlines warn that if staffing issues continue, delays will climb and the system may need to slow down to maintain safety.
Passengers may not yet feel widespread cancellations, but longer security lines and modest delays are already creeping in at major hubs. As one carrier put it, “A system under stress must be slowed down,” meaning the cost of the shutdown will be borne by travelers if it drags on. But the cost is certainly being borne by government workers right now as Congress fails to exercise its power of the purse. It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and then hash out healthcare…
CONCLUSION
Airlines stepping up support for unpaid federal aviation workers is both a gesture of solidarity and a signal of urgency. But free meals do not pay mortgages, utilities, schooling, and other essentials that workers without adequate rainy day funds are now struggling to cover. It’s only natural that these workers will seek funding elsewhere…for survival. Even so, kudos to airlines for trying to at least partially soften the blow.
This identifies an interesting issue. We’re ATC funded by users and not a congressional appropriation, none of this would be necessary. Yes, airlines would have to pay, and that would surely get passed on to passengers, but that is already fair – such is a user fee for a service provided to fairly well off customers.
No, Republicans just need to negotiate in good-faith with Democrats and pass a bipartisan budget. That’s it.
Your suggestion is a classic ploy by Republicans to ‘break’ the government, then attempt to ‘privatize’ everything. We, the people, lose when that happens; ultimately, wealth and power then consolidates to a few oligarchs and corporations with unchecked power. Airports are purposely public because they are essential, like access to clean water, electricity, shelter, education, healthcare, etc.
So, to the sane among us, please resist the urge to trust Jfhscott’s thinly-veiled trope. If Republicans can do this with ATC, TSA, FAA, etc., they’ll then take away every last ‘public good/service,’ from Social Security, to schools (only private!), to roads (only tolls!) It’s a slippery slope, and it’s all written down in their Project 2025 plans.
Nope.
Assigning blame to either side here is ridiculously facile and identifies a partisan agenda to blame one party or another.
Nor does financing government services through user fees render those services private. Do you seriously claim that FERC is private by dint of the fact that it is funded not by Congress, but through user fees. Flying in airplanes is something which people of means do. Let them bear the cost.
Let’s be clear: This is absolutely partisan.
Project 2025 does explicitly seek to privatize the TSA, and also to replace career civil servants with political appointees loyal to President Trump, directly challenging the independence and merit-based structure of many technical agencies like the FAA. That is bad for most workers, consumers, taxpayers, and the traveling public.
FAA is primarily funded by user fees already (like 70-90%), yet about 10-30% is still taxpayers. Likewise, TSA is about 30-40% user fees, 60-70% taxpayers. So, because we, the people, pay for FAA and TSA, there’s still Congressional appropriations and oversight. Removing a service from congressional appropriation changes its public nature and control, even if the service remains technically non-private (yeah, not everyone gets to fly.)
By contrast, FERC is 100% user fees; meaning, taxpayers do not pay for it, at all, not directly. Also, importantly, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission does not affect everyone, because its jurisdiction is limited to specific areas, like wholesale electricity and natural gas, and hydropower projects. Most people deal with state public utilities, not federal.
Ultimately, everyone should want efficiency and fairness. Unfortunately, some are trying to take advantage here. I’d like to think you mean well, but I am wary of the Trojan Horse that is these calls for greater privatization.
Sounds like project 2025 is a great framework.
Again?
Holding this country hostage to fund Obama care and illegal aliens is not good faith.
It’s time these functions were put in a different category so real Americans aren’t effected by democrat shutdowns.
So, what’s the Republican plan for healthcare, Walter? Do we need to wait another ‘two weeks’….
Amen.
Matt, I agree that it’s better that folks step up for each other in times of hardship; however, this is a manufactured crisis. Republicans purposely did not renew those healthcare subsidies, and also refuse to negotiate in good-faith with Democrats on the budget, which lead to this shutdown, and the subsequent lack of pay to TSA, ATC, etc. These for-profit companies, airlines, providing a simple charity to these agents is somewhat admirable facially, but, those same CEOs are sycophants for the administration, gleeful for their tax cuts, de-regulation, and anti-worker policies. So, I wouldn’t praise the airlines too much here; they’d happily sell out their fellow Americans if it mean more profit.
It would be a more meaningful gesture if the airline executives broke bread with frontline employees and documented their struggles to provide a report to elected officials.
Amazing how many people with good jobs can’t save enough to last a few weeks without a paycheck.
But they always have the newest IPhone. Maybe I shouldn’t defend America as much as I do because we sure have a lot of people who are bad with money.
So the Schumer shutdown continues to hurt them. While he refuses to listen to what Obama said…..Pass the clean resolution!
You aren’t making the point that you think you’re making… you’ve actually exposed that these government workers aren’t being paid enough (regardless of the shutdown).
By the way, the newest iPhone is regularly marketed at all cell phone users in the United States, especially if you deal with the triopoly of Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Most people pay $10-50/mo to pay off those phones.
These and other Americans aren’t struggling because of that. They’re underwater because costs on housing, healthcare, groceries, and other essentials have skyrocketed while wages have stagnated.
You are being disingenuous, here, now, and seemingly always.
You know 1990? Seeing your meltdown posts across OMATT, VFTW, LALF, etc is now becoming the highlight of my day…as you now spread your diseased way of thinking like a virus in a sad attempt at attention. You seem to have missed a TON of days in government class in high school and it shows by how little you truly understand how our system of government is supposed to work. But hey, keep posting all your “Trump is evil, Republicans are evil, unions are the greatest thing since sliced bread,” drivel and responding to everyone’s posts like they actually give a damn what you think.
Amen Steve, A F’n men!
Praise be, oh ‘faithful’ one.
Steve, clearly I’m making an impact.
So, what’s the Republican plan for healthcare?
Oh, there isn’t one. Uh oh.
When an internet troll types “see, you responded,” they are using a specific tactic intended to provoke a reaction and then use that reaction as a form of “proof” of their success or the other person’s emotional investment in the argument. The phrase suggests:
Validation of Trolling: The troll views a response as a win. Their goal is not a genuine discussion but to get attention and disturb others. A response, any response, confirms they have successfully gotten under the person’s skin.
Shifting the Blame/Focus: They attempt to flip the dynamic, implying that the responder is the one who is overly sensitive or has “taken the bait,” rather than the troll being the one intentionally instigating.
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
Funny story: My father-in-law’s return flight last year was cancelled and he was issued meal vouchers by Lufthansa and when my wife returned the next evening for him to get on, and my wife asked for an escort pass (he’s 90 y/o), the gate agent kind of gave her a hassle and after she “asked for the manger” she gate agent gave in and gave her the escort pass. She gave him the meal vouchers as a present as thanks anyway.
THIS year, she got him on the flight again and it was the SAME gate agent. He didn’t give her the escort pass even though I think he certainly remembered her.
Perhaps his hands were tied…
When will the Democrats vote to fund the government?
I know you’re being disingenuous, but for the others who don’t realize it:
So far, 13 times; the Democrats are voting for a budget that includes healthcare for Americans.
The real question is whether both parties will negotiate in good-faith for a bipartisan budget.
Senate Republicans seem to think they don’t have to, so, the government remains shutdown.
“Remember, remember… the fifth of November…” for today is the longest government shutdown in US history.
Recall what Trump himself has said: “If there is a shutdown I think it would be a tremendously negative mark on the president of the United States. He’s the one that has to get people together.”
Maybe he should take his own advice, and actually negotiate for a bi-partisan budget to reopen today. Or not. Lotta ‘the beatings will continue’ vibes with that schmuck.
Democrats caused this.
Nope. Your daddy says otherwise…
“When they talk about the government shutdown, they’re going to be talking about the president of the United States, who the president was at that time. They’re not going to be talking about who was the head of the House, the head the Senate, who’s running things in Washington. So I really think the pressure is on the president.”
— Donald J. Trump