Delta CEO Criticizes Unpaid TSA Staffing and Issues Apology to Passengers

The CEO of Delta Airlines expressed deep frustration over TSA officers working without pay, leading to lengthy security lines and widespread disruptions in air travel nationwide.

The situation at airports is worsening as roughly 50,000 TSA officers missed their first paycheck last week, while Congress remains deadlocked over funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

“It’s unacceptable that our security agents, who are crucial to our operations, are not receiving their pay. It’s outrageous to see them being used as pawns in political games,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian remarked during an interview with CNBC on Tuesday.

Bastian emphasized, “We are incensed,” highlighting that Delta is already feeling the effects of the partial government shutdown.

Adam Stahl, Acting Deputy TSA Administrator, warned that the current situation will likely “worsen before it improves.”

Staffing shortages at security checkpoints have created long lines and delays at major hubs – including at its base in Atlanta, Georgia.

Some workers are becoming desperate for money, taking on second jobs and even selling their blood to get by, while scores of others are calling out sick or resigning.

Airlines have since been forced to delay flights for passengers who struggle to get through hours-long security lines, or rebook them if possible.  

As day broke on Friday, nearly 400 flights were already delayed within, into or out of the United States, according to flight tracker FlightAware. 

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian fumed at Congress as Transportation Security Administration officers continue to work without pay in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday

Staffing shortages caused by the partial government shutdown have caused massive lines at airports across the country. Travelers are seen here waiting in line at George Bush International Airport on Thursday

‘These people missed paychecks just a few months ago,’ Bastian said. ‘They’re missing paychecks again. It’s outrageous.’

The CEO was referring to a 43-day shutdown last fall that resulted in disruptions, delays and around 10 percent of flights cut at major airports by the Federal Aviation Administration 

‘We got a war going on,’ he noted. ‘Let’s get our people who are essential to our security paid.’

Bastian had previously signed onto a letter from industry trade group Airlines for America, calling on Congress to end the shutdown.

‘Americans – who live in your districts and home states – are tired of long lines at airports, travel delays and flight cancellations caused by shutdown after shutdown,’ the group wrote in the letter over the weekend. 

‘Yet, once again, air travel is the political football amid another government shutdown. This problem is solvable and there are solutions on the table.’

Bastian and other airline CEOs then asked that Congress pass three measures that would see workers paid no matter the status of the government. 

They warned that an estimated that 171 million people will fly between March 1 and April 30, a four percent increase from the same period last year.

An alert at George Bush International Airport warned travelers that security lanes were closed on Thursday as TSA employees continue to call out

TSA officials have warned that the situation may grow even more dire. People are seen waiting in a security line in Houston, Texas

Airlines have been forced to hold flights for passengers who struggle to get through the sometimes hours-long security lines in time for their flights, or rebook them if possible

Without any resolution, the situation is now likely to ‘get worse before it gets better’ as staffing becomes even more strained, Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl told NewsNation on Thursday. 

A temporary pause in operations at smaller airports may even soon be on the table, Stahl warned. 

‘As this goes on without any sort of resolution from Congress, particularly from Senate Democrats, our folks will continue to call out,’ Stahl said during an appearance on ‘The Hill.’  

‘And so, again, small airports may be particularly impacted because they have fewer lanes and they have fewer people, and so, if a certain three or four out of 10 employees call out, we may – to ensure we’re not degrading security – we may have to temporarily suspend operations at those airports.’

Stahl sidestepped questions about how many airports could be affected, insisting there was no single ‘breaking point’ in making the determination.

‘It will vary very much airport to airport,’ he said. 

‘Callout rates are one of many factors that help to inform our security footprint at every single airport, but again I can tell you, this is going to get worse before it gets better, particularly if we don’t have a resolution in the coming days and weeks.’

He then criticized Congress for holding the TSA ‘hostage’ in its funding fight.

More than 360 TSA officers have now left the force since the shutdown began in mid-February. A TSA agent is pictured watching the huge lines to go through security at Atlanta’s Harsfield-Jackson International Airport on Thursday

In total, 9.88 percent of all TSA workers called out on Tuesday and 10.16 percent called out on Wednesday. TSA workers are seen here at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Thursday

‘To hold an entire department hostage, particularly over policy concerns, is frankly reckless and it’s, I really think… it threatens, really the foundational, you know, job of Congress at large to fund the appropriations process, to fund the executive branch,’ Stahl argued. 

Cameron Cochems, a union steward and the lead TSA officer in Boise, Idaho, echoed those remarks.

‘The morale is getting worse by the day because no one knows when this is gonna end,’ he told CBS News, arguing people are ‘waiting on line because the government can’t do their job, and it’s ruining people’s lives.’

Staffing shortages have already prompted the TSA to close several terminal checkpoints at large airports like Philadelphia International. 

More than 360 TSA officers have now left the force since the shutdown began in mid-February, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

It also reported that callout rates spiked to more than 50 percent in Houston, and more than 30 percent in cities like New Orleans and Atlanta earlier this week.

In total, 9.88 percent of all TSA workers called out on Tuesday and 10.16 percent called out on Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested on Thursday he may cancel the Senate’s recess if the shutdown is not over

More than 360 TSA officers have now left the force since the shutdown began in mid-February

The situation is now set to grow even more dire, with Congress set to leave for recess at the end of next week.

‘It is not yet widespread… [but] keep this thing going for another week or two and there’s a real good chance it is going to be widespread,’ an aviation industry official told Politico. 

‘There’s a decent chance that this isn’t going to get resolved before [Congress recesses] and it’s going to take a giant meltdown to get it resolved,’ the official warned.

To prevent that from happening, Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested on Thursday he may cancel the Senate’s recess if the shutdown is not over by then.

His remarks came as a bipartisan group of senators, including members of the Appropriations Committee and some Democrats who were instrumental in ending the last shutdown, met privately with Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar.

At the White House, officials also spoke with travel industry officials on a call this week as fears intensify about the situation.

‘I’m extremely worried, not just short term, but throughout the summer,’ an administration official admitted to Politico. ‘World Cup and America250 could be crippled if this isn’t resolved ASAP.’

But in another sign that the two parties are now working to bring the shutdown to an end, White House officials released details of changes it is willing to make to immigration enforcement on Thursday.

The White House and Congressional Republicans have previously blamed Democrats for the shutdown, while Republicans also blocked Democrats’ attempts to force a vote to fund agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, including the TSA, but exclude Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Protection.