United Airlines CEO Sends a Warning Amid Government Shutdown

As the government shutdown stretches into its second month, the airline industry is feeling the strain as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers and air traffic controllers go without pay, leading to widespread delays and flight cancellations. Now, one major airline is speaking out.

Travel Industry Feels the Strain

As TSA officers and air traffic controllers continue to work without pay, airports across the country have been hit with staffing shortages as many of those federal workers have resorted to other part-time jobs to make ends meet.

“Just yesterday, we had 22 staffing triggers. That’s one of the highest that we’ve seen in the system since the shutdown began,” Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last week. “And that’s a sign that the controllers are wearing thin.”

Duffy warned that in order to keep everyone safe, these staffing shortages will lead to delays and cancellations if necessary.

“My job is to keep the airspace safe. And so, if I don’t feel like I have enough controllers or enough controllers that are focused, we will slow down traffic, we will stop traffic,” Duffy said.

Scott Kirby Speaks Out

While travelers are feeling the strain caused by the federal government shutdown, the airlines are feeling it, too.

During a recent press conference, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby had some strong comments on the situation as he made it clear that the federal government shutdown is hurting everyone involved.

“It’s putting stress on people. It’s not fair to those people. It’s also putting stress on the economy,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told reporters outside of the White House on Thursday, via Fortune.

Kirby warned that the strain on the airline industry is starting to show up in the economy.

“Airlines are a pretty good real-time indicator of the economy, and we start to see, still minor, but steep booking impact. And you see that happening in the economy. We put the whole economy at risk.”

Clearly, everyone involved wants a solution as soon as possible.