Airlines for America (A4A) has issued a statement criticizing the extraordinarily long TSA lines at some U.S. airports caused by the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. The organization notes that TSA officers are facing zero paychecks this week, leading to delays and missed flights for passengers. A4A urges Congress and the administration to act urgently to end the shutdown.
On March 8, 2026, in Washington, D.C., A4A President and CEO Chris Sununu released a statement addressing the impacts of the DHS shutdown on airport security. He stated, “As TSA officers are facing a $0 paycheck this week, we are seeing firsthand the significant strains that the current DHS shutdown is causing across the aviation system. TSA lines are two and three hours long at some airports, causing flights to be delayed and passengers to miss flights.”
Sununu emphasized the broader consequences, saying, “The shutdown is having very real consequences, and hardworking federal aviation workers, the airline industry and our passengers are being used as a political football once again. This is simply unacceptable and un-American.” The statement comes during spring break travel season, when record numbers of passengers are expected to fly. Airlines have prepared for the influx, but Sununu called for immediate action: “We are in spring break travel season and expecting record numbers of people to take to the skies. Airlines have done their part to prepare; now Congress and the administration must act with urgency to reach a deal that reopens DHS and ends this shutdown. America’s transportation security workforce is too important to be used as political leverage.”
This follows A4A's participation last week in a “Pay Federal Aviation Workers” press conference with U.S. Travel and the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The event highlighted the need to compensate federal aviation workers during the shutdown.
