Overview
- Delta, which announced the pause Tuesday, gave no date for restoring the services.
- Lawmakers will no longer get airline escorts or other VIP help like priority rebooking or upgrades, and they will be treated by SkyMiles status, though a dedicated reservations phone line remains.
- The airline said operations are strained as TSA call-outs have jumped from about 2% to above 10% in places, more than 400 officers have quit since mid-February, and some hubs have logged multi-hour security waits.
- The Senate has passed Sen. John Cornyn’s bill to end preferential TSA screening for members of Congress, sending the measure to the House for consideration.
- Delta CEO Ed Bastian has urged Congress to pay TSA workers, and coverage has split, with right-leaning outlets casting the move as a rebuke to Democrats while Reuters and local reports emphasize operational strain and note TSA screening rules are unchanged.