Delta suspends special treatment for Congress as government shutdown sows airport chaos

Delta Air Lines said ⁠on Tuesday it would ⁠suspend special services for ⁠members of Congress, citing the impact of a partial government shutdown that has disrupted US air travel.“Due to the impact on resources from the long-standing government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend ‌speciality services to members of Congress flying Delta.“Next to safety, Delta’s no. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment,” the Atlanta-based US air carrier said in a statement.Delta, like other US airlines, typically provides ⁠special services for lawmakers who fly frequently back and forth from Washington and oversee ‌the nation’s air travel system.Members of Congress will not get airport escorts or VIP treatment for other services such as ‌seat upgrades or rebooking, the airline said, though lawmakers will still ⁠have access ⁠to a special phone line for reservations.Travellers have endured hours-long waits at security screening checkpoints in ‌recent days as resignations and absentee rates have risen among Transportation Security Administration employees, who have gone ‌without pay ‌since mid-February, when Congress allowed funding for the Department of Homeland ‌Security to expire due to a dispute over immigration enforcement.