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Delta passengers who paid a premium for first-class services are losing out on some of the perks as airport chaos continues nationwide amid the ongoing government shutdown. The airline normally offers expedited security lanes for Delta One passengers traveling internationally, in which trained airline employees assist Transportation Security Administration agents at the airline's special checkpoints in an effort to speed up the process. Delta's website says the perk makes air travel 'feel effortless from the moment you arrive.' But a spokesperson for the airline has now confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that its exclusive expedited security lanes for Delta One passengers are temporarily closed at New York's John F Kennedy International Airport and at the Los Angeles International Airport. 'We're working with our TSA partners in these locations to have customers screened through other checkpoints,' the spokesperson said. The TSA is already strained, however, as absenteeism tends to increase during government shutdowns - when they, and air traffic controllers, are forced to work without pay. Delta now says it has arranged for a limited number of meals to be provided to the security agents as the shutdown enters its 29th consecutive day. Other airlines, though, are continuing to offer their concierge services, with both American Airlines and United Airlines saying their expedited security for passengers who pay extra have not been affected by the shutdown. United said its Premier Access priority security lanes, which are available at 60 airports around the world - including LAX and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport - are still available. Those lanes are offered to a larger number of passengers than Delta's program, including those in the United MileagePlus program, travelers in business and first class, certain credit card holders and those who purchase the Premier Access benefit. It is unclear, though, if the programs will be pulled if the shutdown were to continue even longer. A spokesperson for the TSA told the Journal 'the vast majority of TSA's nationwide operations remain minimally impacted by the government shutdown,' but noted that 'occasional delays at some security checkpoints are to be expected.' Flight disruptions will also increase, after air traffic controllers missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday, the Trump administration has warned. Delays had already soared to 8,600 on Sunday, with around 44 percent attributed to ATC staffing issues — compared to the usual 5 percent. The scandal continued on Monday as nearly 7,000 flights were delayed — well above the 5,000-flight average. The FAA cited staffing shortages and imposed ground delay programs affecting Newark, Austin Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. Flights in the Southeast were delayed earlier because of significant staffing shortages at the Atlanta Terminal Radar Approach Control. The mounting delays and cancellations are fueling public frustration and intensifying scrutiny of the shutdown's impact, raising pressure on lawmakers to resolve the standoff. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was in Cleveland meeting with controllers on Monday, while the National Air Traffic Controllers Association union held events at numerous airports on Tuesday to highlight the first missed paycheck. During an appearance on the Fox News program 'Sunday Morning Futures,' Duffy said more controllers were calling in sick as money worries compound the stress of an already challenging job. 'You can see the stress,' he said. 'These are people that oftentimes live paycheck to paycheck.' 'Just yesterday, ... we had 22 staffing triggers,' Duffy announced. 'That's one of the highest that we have seen in the system since the shutdown began. And that's a sign that the controllers are wearing thin,' he said. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also said last week that ATC workers are 'forced' to take on second jobs like 'driving for Uber' in order to 'make ends meet'. 'With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, we are nearing the busiest travel period of the entire year, when millions of Americans will go to airports to spend time with their loved ones,' Leavitt said on Thursday. 'If the Democrats continue to keep the government closed we fear there will be significant flight delays, disruptions and cancellations in major airports across the country this holiday season.' The FAA already about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day workweeks even before the shutdown. A spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association told the Journal the union has 'consistently warned that the controller staffing shortages leaves the system vulnerable, and the recent events underscore the urgent need to accelerate hiring and training.
