US airlines start offering free food to unpaid air traffic controllers
(MENAFN) Major US airlines have stepped in to support air traffic controllers and other federal employees who have gone without pay during the ongoing government shutdown by offering free meals at airports nationwide.
According to reports, United Airlines has begun distributing complimentary meals at key hubs, including Chicago O’Hare, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles. The airline said, “We appreciate the hardworking federal employees who are keeping the air travel system running.”
Delta Air Lines and JetBlue have also introduced similar initiatives at several of their airport locations to assist affected workers.
The move comes as thousands of air traffic controllers have missed their first full paychecks since the shutdown began. During a press conference at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Nick Daniels underscored the mounting financial difficulties faced by controllers.
“This is day one, and day two gets harder, [and] day three is harder after that, as expenses continue to roll [in],” Duffy said, noting that many new recruits are struggling to cover basic costs. Daniels warned that some controllers have taken second jobs to make ends meet, which could impact safety in the aviation system.
The shutdown — now the second-longest in US history — began on Oct. 1 following a deadlock in negotiations over federal spending. Since then, thousands of government employees have been furloughed, and numerous public services have been scaled back or halted.
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