United Airlines is introducing a new seating option aimed at making long flights more comfortable, especially for families traveling with young children. 
The airline recently unveiled &#8220;Relax Row,&#8221; which transforms three adjacent economy seats into a lie-flat space. The feature, announced on social media, is expected to roll out in 2027.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The entire row is alllllll yours.
Welcome to United Relax Row, three adjacent United Economy seats with adjustable leg rests that can each be raised or lowered to create a cozy lie-flat space for stretching out&#8230;
You&#8217;ll also get a mattress pad, blanket and two pillows. If… <a href="https://t.co/Q6gcOuXbXo">pic.twitter.com/Q6gcOuXbXo</a>
— United Airlines (@united) <a href="https://twitter.com/united/status/2036505633470431412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“The entire row is alllllll yours,” the X caption says. “Welcome to United Relax Row, three adjacent United Economy seats with adjustable leg rests that can each be raised or lowered to create a cozy lie-flat space for stretching out.”
Passengers will also receive a mattress pad, blanket, and two pillows. Families traveling with children will be offered a plush toy. United said the option would be available on more than 200 Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft, with up to 12 designated rows per plane.
According to the airline, the setup is designed to give travelers more flexibility and comfort.
“Whether you’re traveling as a family, solo or as a couple, you’ll have the freedom to stretch out, cozy up and make the journey your own,” United said on its website.
The announcement drew mostly positive reactions online.
“Much needed. United is innovating faster than anyone,” one reply <a href="https://x.com/DrWilliamBrady/status/2036532429846917544">said</a>.
“Good idea. Finally, something new from the airlines,” another commenter <a href="https://x.com/LeviSpires/status/2036519609558262177">replied</a>.
“May this set the standard for more child-friendly travel!” a third <a href="https://x.com/The_Nomad_News/status/2036613595925303521">added</a>.
United has not yet released details on pricing or how the seats will be booked.
This is the second encouraging update from the airline, which made <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/united-airlines-threatens-to-ban-passengers-who-make-this-noisy-faux-pas">headlines</a> recently when it added language to its contract of carriage stating it may refuse to transport passengers who fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content. 
A spokesperson for United noted that headphone use had long been encouraged.
“We’ve always encouraged customers to use headphones when listening to audio content — and our Wi-Fi rules already remind customers to use headphones,” the spokesperson said. “With the expansion of Starlink, it seemed like a good time to make that even clearer by adding it to the contract of carriage.”
The policy change was widely supported on social media, with many travelers saying it addressed a long-standing frustration and should become standard across the airline industry.

Traveling family

United Airlines Just Changed The Game For Families Traveling With Kids

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One In Ten Airport Screeners Skip Work As Funding Fight Drags On

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Actor Macaulay Culkin and his fiancée, Brenda Song, vowed never to fly Alaska Airlines again after they were separated from their young children during a recent flight.
Song, best known for her role on the Disney Channel sitcom “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” shared what happened on her Instagram stories. 
“I didn’t know when you book your first class tickets 6 months in advance for your family of six for your son’s birthday — @alaskaair can just give away your seats the morning of with no warning — splitting up you and your 3 and 4 year old kids,” Song wrote on her Instagram Stories. “We will never fly @alaskaair again and neither should you.”
The couple has two sons: Dakota, 4, and Carson, 3. Culkin shared her post to his Stories, adding the caption, “Hell hath no fury like a Brenda scorned…”
A representative from Alaska Airlines <a href="https://people.com/brenda-song-calls-out-alaska-airlines-for-giving-up-her-familys-seats-with-no-warning-11931826">told</a> People in a statement that the incident was &#8220;unacceptable and not reflective of the care” the airline aims for.
&#8220;Traveling can be stressful, especially with young children, and we pride ourselves on being a top airline for traveling families,” the statement says. “We are deeply sorry for adding friction to the experience.&#8221;
Alaska Airlines noted that they &#8220;have reached out to the family to make it right.”
Song and Culkin met in 2017 on the set of “Changeland.” Though they’ve been known to keep their relationship private, they do sometimes make public appearances or do interviews that allow fans to get a peek into their lives. They’ve been engaged since 2022.
Airline seating policies have become a topic of debate in recent months. In January, Southwest Airlines <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/southwest-enters-a-new-era-as-airline-officially-ends-open-seating">changed its longstanding open seating policy</a> in favor of assigned seats, with mixed reviews from customers.
Then, in February, a family flying with two young children went viral after the father posted about his experience being randomly assigned to sit in a different row from his children. Many commenters <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/travel/family-outraged-after-major-airline-seats-toddler-apart-from-parents-sparking-viral-debate">pointed out</a> that the dad should have paid the upgrade fee to select seats together. But others argued that airlines should automatically seat parents and young children together.

Macaulay Culkin

Macaulay Culkin Swears Off Popular Airline After Seating Snafu With His Kids

Macaulay Culkin Swears Off Alaska Airlines After Seating Snafu With His Kids

Celebrities

Entertainment

Airline CEOs are calling on Congress to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown as travelers face longer lines at the airport, and TSA agents are struggling to make ends meet while working without pay.
The department has faced a lapse in funding since Feb. 14 over a dispute regarding federal immigration enforcement policies. TSA, the Coast Guard, and FEMA are among the most heavily impacted agencies, as the Trump administration’s immigration agenda was already largely funded through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last year.
“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 letter addressed to Congress said, which was signed by the CEOs of Alaska Air Group, American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta, Southwest, Fedex, United, JetBlue, and UPS, as well as Airlines for America President and CEO Chris Sununu. The letter was first published in The Washington Post, according to a <a href="https://www.airlines.org/news/airline-ceos-open-letter-to-congress-published-in-the-washington-post/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>.
“Yet, once again air travel is the political football amid another government shutdown,” the letter added, saying that the “problem is solvable.”
The letter released on Sunday comes as travelers are headed throughout the United States and around the globe for spring break vacations. The White House confirmed to The Daily Wire last week that 300 TSA agents have quit since the shutdown started, as the essential government employees received an empty paycheck this cycle. The Denver International Airport even asked people to consider giving $10 and $20 grocery store and gas station gift cards to TSA agents. Starting pay for agents can sometimes be under $40,000 a year.
“TSA officers just received $0 paychecks. That is simply unacceptable. It&#8217;s difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car and pay rent when you are not getting paid,” the letter added.
“But too many travelers are having to wait in extraordinarily long-and painfully slow-lines at checkpoints. Wait times of 2, 3 and even 4 hours have been reported. Airlines are doing everything we can to mitigate disruption by holding flights for late passengers and rebooking others,” it added.
Talks to end the shutdown have appeared minimal as of late last week, with Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), the top Republican negotiator on the issue, saying that Democrats have yet to come to the table, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mounting-frustration-as-senate-dems-dig-in-on-dhs-shutdown?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Hundreds+Of+TSA+Workers+Quit+As+Dems+Dig+In+On+Shutdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
“TSA officers have gone 74 days without a paycheck in FY26 because of Democrats’ two shutdowns. This is absolutely unacceptable,” Britt posted to X on Monday in response to the airline CEOs&#8217; letter. “Democrats need to end their political posturing, stop using our TSA agents as political pawns, and fully fund DHS.”
However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) posted last week that “Democrats are ready to fund TSA. Republicans are blocking it. Democrats are ready to fund CISA. Republicans are blocking it. Democrats are ready to fund FEMA. And Coast Guard. Republicans are blocking it.”

Landing in sunset hues, airplane landing at sunrise.

Airline CEOs Send Warning As Americans Face 4-Hour Airport Lines

Congress

Department of Transportation

Politics

Transportation

Update, March 14: The ground stop has been lifted at the affected airports, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy <a href="https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/2032619927387914503">said</a>. Firefighters traced the smell to an overheated circuit breaker, and determined that there was no threat to workers.
WASHINGTON—Planes have been grounded at all three Washington, D.C.-area airports after a strong chemical smell forced workers to evacuate the region’s air traffic control center.
Flights were abruptly grounded at Reagan National, Dulles, and Baltimore-Washington International Airports late Friday, and inbound flights were diverted, causing major delays at one of the nation’s largest air travel hubs. It is unclear what caused the smell, or how long the airports will remain locked down. Flights were also grounded at Richmond International Airport.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨BREAKING🚨 GROUND STOP CURRENTLY AT THE FOLLOWING AIRPORTS:
⚠️ Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) 
⚠️ Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) 
⚠️ Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI)⁰⚠️ Richmond International Airport (RIC)<a href="https://twitter.com/FAANews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FAANews</a> is working to…
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/2032582233920307569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The FAA said the smell caused employees at the Potomac Consolidated Terminal RADAR Approach ​Control (TRACON) in Warrenton, Virginia, to evacuate the building, causing the delays. The agency is relocating controllers to a nearby facility, where they may begin diverting incoming flights due to congestion, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/flights-halted-dc-airports-after-chemical-smell-2026-03-13/">reported</a>.
&#8220;The FAA has temporarily stopped traffic at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) because of a strong chemical smell at the Potomac TRACON that is impacting some air traffic controllers,&#8221; the agency said in a statement.
The D.C.-area airports will likely continue to experience delays even after operations resume.
Friday&#8217;s shutdown is the latest incident to put stress on the nation&#8217;s airports. Over 300 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mounting-frustration-as-senate-dems-dig-in-on-dhs-shutdown?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Hundreds+Of+TSA+Workers+Quit+As+Dems+Dig+In+On+Shutdown">TSA agents have quit</a> amid the ongoing partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which directly affects their pay. Even more are expected to begin calling out of work beginning Friday, the first day agents missed a paycheck since the shutdown began.
“Democrats, regrettably, have chosen to punish the American people with long TSA lines and withholding paychecks from workers who help protect our country,” the White House told The Daily Wire Friday afternoon, adding that the Trump administration remains “interested in continuing conversations with Democrats about ways to end this shutdown.”
This is a developing story, please refresh this page for more updates

Airport

Chemical Smell Suddenly Grounds Flights At Several Major Airports

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Why Our Disgusting Airports Are Proof Of The Country’s Decline

Why Our Disgusting Airports Are Proof Of The Country's Decline

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Violence

United Airlines is getting a lot of support from fed-up flyers for its new policy, which would require passengers to use their devices with headphones or risk being permanently banned from the airline. 
The new rule was added to United’s contract of carriage terms under its “refusal to transport” section in late February. At the time, the airline didn’t draw attention to the small tweak, but CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/united-airlines-remove-passengers-who-dont-wear-headphones/">reported</a> on the change earlier this week. 
United&#8217;s new rules say they may &#8220;refuse transport, on a permanent basis&#8221; any passengers who &#8220;fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content.” 
The airline had already been encouraging headphone use for passengers. &#8220;Don&#8217;t worry if you forget your headphones for your flight. If they&#8217;re available, you can request free earbuds,&#8221; it says on the official <a href="https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/travel/inflight/inflight-entertainment.html">website</a>.
A spokesperson for United confirmed the change, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/04/lifestyle/united-airlines-updates-contract-of-carriage-rules-to-force-flyers-to-use-headphone-when-using-devices/">per</a> NY Post. “We’ve always encouraged customers to use headphones when listening to audio content — and our Wi-Fi rules already remind customers to use headphones,” the spokesperson said. “With the expansion of Starlink, it seemed like a good time to make that even clearer by adding it to the contract of carriage.”
The policy change was popular among social media users, with many questioning why the practice wasn’t standard across the airline industry.
“If anyone around you can hear any noise coming out of your phone, ever at all, you should be arrested and flogged and then thrown into the Pacific,” Daily Wire podcast host Matt Walsh <a href="https://x.com/mattwalshblog/status/2029542961025822966?s=43">observed</a>.
“The inane world we’re living in where we have to make this a RULE instead of accepting it as common sense and a courtesy to other humans…,” a second person <a href="https://x.com/BroadsideBrief/status/2029555092177727871">agreed</a>.
“I don&#8217;t get it,” a third person chimed in. “Why do people actually feel the need to use speakers? I never did and never will. Don&#8217;t they know how disturbing it is? I see many people using speakers while talking on the phone like they are the only person in this world.”
Travel expert Scott Keyes told CBS News that only a small minority of travelers violate this standard of decorum, but the comments prove that the policy was needed.
&#8220;This is in line with how the vast majority of travelers comport themselves and would like others to comport themselves,&#8221; he told the outlet. &#8220;It&#8217;s usually only a small number of folks on airplanes who are making noise by not using headphones, so this is a graceful way to handle those folks.&#8221;

Airplane headphones

United Airlines Threatens To Ban Passengers Who Make Noisy Faux Pas

More than 800,000 customers in the United States, as far west as New Mexico, were without electricity, and over 10,000 flights were canceled on Sunday ahead of a monster winter storm that threatened to paralyze eastern states with heavy snowfall.
Forecasters said snow, sleet, freezing rain, and dangerously frigid temperatures would sweep the eastern two-thirds of the nation on Sunday and into the week.
Calling the storms &#8220;historic,&#8221; President Donald Trump on Saturday approved federal emergency disaster declarations in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia.
&#8220;We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all States in the path of this storm. Stay Safe, and Stay Warm,&#8221; Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have declared weather emergencies, the Department of Homeland Security said.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, at a news conference on Saturday, warned Americans to take precautions.
&#8220;It’s going to be very, very cold,&#8221; Noem said. &#8220;So we&#8217;d encourage everybody to stock up on fuel, stock up on food, and we will get through this together.&#8221;
The number of power outages continued to rise. As of 10:18 a.m. EST (1518 GMT) on Sunday, more than 800,000 U.S. customers were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us, with at least 300,000 in Tennessee and over 100,000 each in Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana. Other states affected included Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, and Alabama.
The Department of Energy on Saturday issued an emergency order authorizing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to deploy backup generation resources at data centers and other major facilities, aiming to limit blackouts in the state.
On Sunday, the DOE issued an emergency order to authorize grid operator PJM Interconnection to run &#8220;specified resources&#8221; in the mid-Atlantic region, regardless of limits due to state laws or environmental permits.
The National Weather Service warned of an unusually expansive and long-duration winter storm that would bring widespread, heavy ice accumulation in the Southeast, where &#8220;crippling to locally catastrophic impacts&#8221; can be expected.
Weather service forecasters predicted record cold temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills descending further into the Great Plains region by Monday.
More than 10,100 U.S. flights scheduled for Sunday were canceled, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Over 4,000 flights were canceled on Saturday.
Major U.S. airlines warned passengers to stay alert for abrupt flight changes and cancellations.
Delta Air Lines adjusted its schedule on Saturday, with additional cancellations in the morning for Atlanta and along the East Coast, including in Boston and New York City.
It would relocate experts from cold-weather hubs to support de-icing and baggage teams at several southern airports, the airline said.
JetBlue said that as of Saturday morning, it had canceled about 1,000 flights through Monday.
United Airlines said it had proactively canceled some flights in places with the worst expected weather.
U.S. electric grid operators on Saturday stepped up precautions to avoid rotating blackouts.
Dominion Energy, whose Virginia operations include the largest collection of data centers in the world, said if its ice forecast held, the winter event could be among the largest to affect the company.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Lewis Krauskopf; Additional reporting by Chandni Shah, Devika Nair, and Preetika Parashuraman in Bengaluru, and Blake Brittain in Washington, DC; Editing by Sergio Non, Chizu Nomiyama, Edwina Gibbs, Bernadette Baum, and Nick Zieminski)

Major winter storm spreads across a large swath of the United States

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I Did A Deep Dive Into The Air Traffic Control Subreddit And What I Found Is Disturbing

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Delta and United, two of the largest airlines in the United States, announced on Thursday that they are already canceling flights scheduled for this weekend due to the Federal Aviation Administration&#8217;s flight reductions that will go into effect on Friday due to the government shutdown.
Delta said that around 170 flights would be canceled on Friday, mostly affecting regional flights, CNN <a href="https://x.com/petemuntean/status/1986535945806414024">reported</a>.
&#8220;Delta is complying with a directive from the FAA and the U.S. Department of Transportation to reduce flights at 40 major U.S. airports beginning Friday, Nov 7,&#8221; the airline <a href="https://news.delta.com/delta-cares-customers-reduces-flights-beginning-nov-7-compliance-faa-directive">said</a>, adding, &#8220;These flight reductions are in response to air traffic control staffing shortages stemming from the ongoing government shutdown and are intended to maintain safety across the national airspace system.&#8221;
United, meanwhile, is set to cancel 4% of its flights over the weekend, which will add up to just under 200 flights daily, USA Today <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2025/11/06/airports-flights-affected-by-shutdown-cuts-updates/87123116007/">reported</a>. United and Delta aren&#8217;t the only airlines affected by the flight reductions, as over 500 flights from all airlines have already been canceled this weekend, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-reduced-flights-a082a6817d960101968a923f7dfd8ef0">reported</a>.
The White House&#8217;s Rapid Response X account responded to the news of the flight cancellations, <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1986541630636069298">writing</a>, &#8220;Thank A Democrat.&#8221;
&#8220;@united is now cancelling hundreds of flights originally scheduled for tomorrow due to the Democrat Shutdown,&#8221; the White House added. &#8220;This could&#8217;ve all been avoided if Democrats simply did their jobs. Instead, they chose chaos.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/united?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@united</a> is now cancelling hundreds of flights originally scheduled for tomorrow due to the Democrat Shutdown.
This could&#8217;ve all been avoided if Democrats simply did their jobs. Instead, they chose chaos. <a href="https://t.co/TpJqlXhxJn">pic.twitter.com/TpJqlXhxJn</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1986543455875588597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The government shutdown entered its 37th day on Thursday, with no sign of a deal on a spending bill coming anytime soon as Democratic senators continue to hold out.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Wednesday that the FAA would be slashing air traffic by 10% at 40 of the busiest airports beginning on Friday. The drastic move is to ensure that air travel remains safe as the government faces an air traffic controller shortage. Due to the government shutdown, air traffic controllers have gone weeks without pay, leading some to call in sick and seek work elsewhere.
The reduction in air traffic comes just weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, which is typically the busiest travel weekend of the year in the United States. Here’s the complete list of airports that are expected to be affected by the flight reduction compiled in alphabetical order:
<ul>
<li>Anchorage International (ANC)</li>
<li>Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)</li>
<li>Boston Logan International (BOS)</li>
<li>Baltimore/Washington International (BWI)</li>
<li>Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)</li>
<li>Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG)</li>
<li>Dallas Love (DAL)</li>
<li>Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA)</li>
<li>Denver International (DEN)</li>
<li>Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW)</li>
<li>Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)</li>
<li>Newark Liberty International (EWR)</li>
<li>Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL)</li>
<li>Honolulu International (HNL)</li>
<li>Houston Hobby (HOU)</li>
<li>Washington Dulles International (IAD)</li>
<li>George Bush Houston Intercontinental (IAH)</li>
<li>Indianapolis International (IND)</li>
<li>New York John F Kennedy International (JFK)</li>
<li>Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS)</li>
<li>Los Angeles International (LAX)</li>
<li>New York LaGuardia (LGA)</li>
<li>Orlando International (MCO)</li>
<li>Chicago Midway (MDW)</li>
<li>Memphis International (MEM)</li>
<li>Miami International (MIA)</li>
<li>Minneapolis/St Paul International (MSP)</li>
<li>Oakland International (OAK)</li>
<li>Ontario International (ONT)</li>
<li>Chicago O&#8217;Hare International (ORD)</li>
<li>Portland International (PDX)</li>
<li>Philadelphia International (PHL)</li>
<li>Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)</li>
<li>San Diego International (SAN)</li>
<li>Louisville International (SDF)</li>
<li>Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA)</li>
<li>San Francisco International (SFO)</li>
<li>Salt Lake City International (SLC)</li>
<li>Teterboro (TEB)</li>
<li>Tampa International (TPA)</li>
</ul>

Flight cancellations

‘Thank A Democrat’: Delta, United Cancel Hundreds Of Weekend Flights Due To Government Shutdown

Delta Airlines

On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance held a roundtable with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and airline industry leaders to discuss how the ongoing government shutdown threatens to disrupt Americans’ holiday travel.
Speaking to Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan at the roundtable, Vance warned that pilots, air traffic controllers, and TSA agents may seek new jobs rather than continue operating under “incredible stress” without getting paid.
“Maybe that guy doesn’t show up to work,” Vance said. “Maybe he goes and gets a different job. That means greater delays for the American people.”
Chris Sununu, CEO of Airlines for America and former New Hampshire governor, was part of Thursday’s roundtable. He said morale was a large focus of the conversation.
“The whole point of this is how do we get out of this before we have some sort of critical issue where it’s like a logjam of airlines on the tarmac, and things like that, similar to what we saw in 2019,” Sununu told The Daily Wire, stressing that it’s safe to fly, but that staffing shortages create delays in order to keep the system safe. 
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
“Nobody wants the airline industry to be the linchpin, and the fear is that the Democrats right now are saying, ‘We’re just gonna wait until we see a big traffic jam, you know, happening somewhere, and then we’ll move.&#8217; Which isn’t right, because it’s not right to the American public, it’s not right to these workers,” he continued.
The shutdown will presumably roll into next week, as no deal has been reached yet to reopen the federal government. Republicans have been demanding that a clean continuing resolution be passed and have voted accordingly, whereas most Democrats have used the shutdown to push for the continuation of Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire next year. Southwest, United, American, and Delta all put out statements calling on Congress to reopen the government, <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/largest-us-airlines-raise-pressure-dems-pass-clean-cr-end-shutdown">Fox Business</a> reported.
“They see the impact and feel that impact a little differently depending on what’s happening in the area because where the callouts have been happening — it’s all over the place,” Sununu said regarding which cities airlines have their hubs in.
“It really does need to be noted that we all thought it would be much worse right now. The FAA and these air traffic controllers have done an amazing job mitigating what should’ve been, by now, probably a much worse situation. We have some delays, but it’s nothing overly significant. It’s increasing by the day now. I think the inflection point is we’re seeing the traffic controllers not getting paid.”
However, Sununu noted that an under-discussed element of the shutdown is TSA agents taking a financial hit, as they tend to make less than air traffic controllers.
“Their decision-making process in terms of ‘Look, I can’t come in today. I gotta go drive an Uber. I have to go work a part-time shift somewhere else cause I need money.’ Their decision-making process is actually gonna happen a lot faster than the air traffic controllers,” he said.
“The planes are still gonna take off and all of that, but you’re gonna have a lot more delays, and it’s gonna affect the American public and the customers a lot more severely,” he added.

Chris Sununu

Airline Industry Leader Warns Flight Delays Are Reaching An ‘Inflection Point’ As Shutdown Drags On

WASHINGTON—House Majority Whip Tom Emmer says that most Americans have not yet felt the brunt of the government shutdown. But, as the fight hits its 30-day mark, the Minnesota Republican warns: “this is the week it begins.”
“Democrats have caused a shutdown which is causing significant pain,” Emmer told The Daily Wire in an exclusive interview.
“Air traffic controllers didn&#8217;t get their first paycheck. More federal workers will not get a paycheck on Friday. SNAP benefits will lapse, in many states, unless they&#8217;ve got a governor who&#8217;s trying to figure out a way to fill the gap, 42 million low income Americans are going to be without their SNAP benefits because of this shutdown — caused solely by Democrats,” Emmer said.
The Department of Agriculture issued a <a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/">statement</a> ahead of the looming November 1 deadline for funding for food stamps, saying that “Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).&#8221;
&#8220;Bottom line, the well has run dry,&#8221; the USDA statement says. &#8220;At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01.”
“It’s only going to get worse,” Emmer said, adding that the shutdown is causing “significant pain.”
Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1983966640535421421">reported</a> that Vice President JD Vance, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and aviation leaders held a press conference on Thursday, warning of major travel delays.
“A lot of our [air travel workers] can go through the miss of one paycheck &#8211; and it&#8217;s hard for them &#8230; none of them can get through two paychecks. If Democrats don&#8217;t get their act together very quickly, you&#8217;re going to see huge problems,” Duffy <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1983968180306637304">said</a>.
CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/30/government-shutdown-delta-air-traffic-controllers.html">reported</a> Delta and United Airlines urged senators to pass the clean continuing resolution on Thursday.
“Missed paychecks only increases the stress on these essential workers, many of whom are already working mandatory overtime to keep our skies safe and secure,&#8221; the company reportedly said.
The military is feeling the effects of the shutdown as well.
Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger (R-Texas), a veteran, joined The Ben Shapiro Show on Thursday to <a href="https://x.com/RepublicanStudy/status/1983958850341306596">explain</a> how the government shutdown is impacting military readiness while putting financial strain on families who depend on their paychecks for rent, food, and other essentials.
On the Senate floor Thursday, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace begins in two days, and claimed Republicans have “spent the entire shutdown with their heads in the sand — the shutdown they caused — because they would not negotiate with Democrats.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenSchumer</a>: &#8220;Republicans have spent the entire shutdown with their heads in the sand &#8211; the shutdown they caused &#8211; because they would not negotiate with Democrats…&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/eW0FxCklJm">pic.twitter.com/eW0FxCklJm</a>
— Amber Jo Cooper (@AmberJoCooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmberJoCooper/status/1983913147925754113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
Schumer has <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/1975316482189107417">repeatedly</a> blamed Republicans for the shutdown and said they have control of the House, Senate, and White House.
Emmer said he believes Democrats have been “lying” about the shutdown since day one and noted there is a filibuster that needs 60 votes to pass off the floor. Given there are 53 Republicans, seven Democrats are needed to reopen the government.
On Wednesday, Democrats attempted to pass a funding bill for SNAP; however, Senate Majority Leader John Thune objected and demanded Democrats reopen the government.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“YOU VOTED NO 13 TIMES!”: <a href="https://twitter.com/LeaderJohnThune?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LeaderJohnThune</a> is fired up on the Senate floor and objected to Sen. Lujan’s bill to fund SNAP food stamps and WIC nutrition programs.
“The senator from New Mexico is absolutely right, SNAP recipients shouldn’t go without food. People should be getting… <a href="https://t.co/aVWnRFnwO8">pic.twitter.com/aVWnRFnwO8</a>
— Amber Jo Cooper (@AmberJoCooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmberJoCooper/status/1983634998746927500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
Thune said the bill was a “cynical attempt to provide political cover for Democrats, to allow them to carry on their government shutdown for the long-term.”
“They [Democrats] are directly responsible for any interruption of SNAP benefits. And the idea that this can be paid out of here, this can be paid out of there. Look, why don&#8217;t they just vote for the clean CR?” Emmer said.
It&#8217;s clear that Republicans are united behind the same message: the government must reopen.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has <a href="https://x.com/hakeemjeffries/status/1982965467385082093">repeatedly</a> said that House Republicans are on “vacation.&#8221; However, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has said the House has “done its work” in passing the continuing resolution a month ago.
Emmer said Republicans have been “working their tail off” in their districts while the Democrats “shut the government down.”
He said their offices are taking calls from constituents and they are trying to help them with “frankly, with a lot of problems that are being caused by the Democratic shutdown.”
“If [Jeffries] thinks we&#8217;re on vacation or he thinks more importantly that Democrat senators walking over to the Senate floor once a week, twice a week, and voting ‘no’ is ‘working.’ Well, that&#8217;s why he&#8217;s in the minority,” Emmer said.
He said that one way to see whose fault the shutdown is &#8211; would be to look at the mainstream media.
“How do you know that the Democrats are responsible for the shutdown? It should be the headline on every paper around the country. If it was Republicans that were responsible, it would be. But it hasn&#8217;t been &#8211; for 29 days,” Emmer said.
The Senate adjourned on Thursday until 3:00 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3. Another vote is expected to potentially reopen the government next week.

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