By Jacob Passy

First-class passengers flying out of New York and Los Angeles may feel like they are getting coach treatment thanks to the government shutdown.

Exclusive screening lanes for Delta One customers at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport aren't currently active, Delta Air Lines confirmed. These lanes normally allow passengers who buy pricey Delta One airfare for international flights from those airports to bypass the standard security checkpoints.

On Delta's website, the airline says the upgrade makes travel "feel effortless from the moment you arrive." Now, those customers are being forced to go through standard security lanes at airports alongside everyone else.

Delta One service doesn't come cheap: One such ticket for a flight from JFK to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport this Friday cost more than $4,000 as of Tuesday evening.

"We're working with our TSA partners in these locations to have customers screened through other checkpoints," a Delta spokesman said.

The special access shut down is just one of many indignities piling up as travelers face week five of the U.S. government shutdown. Federal officials have warned that an extended shutdown is further straining America's already Balkanized, understaffed air travel infrastructure -- from agents who screen passengers to air-traffic controllers.

Delta noted it has a longstanding partnership with TSA where trained airline employees will assist at the airline's special checkpoints to expedite the process. The carrier has also arranged for a limited number of meals to be provided to transportation-sector employees who are working without pay at this point.

American Airlines and United Airlines both said their concierge services, which include expedited security for VIP passengers, haven't seen any impact from the shutdown.

United said that its Premier Access priority security lanes, which are available at 60 airports globally, including major U.S. hubs like Los Angeles and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, are still available to eligible travelers amid the shutdown.

United's special security lanes are available to a wider range of passengers than Delta's, such as those with status in the MileagePlus frequent-flier program, travelers flying in business and first class, certain credit-card holders and those who purchase Premier Access benefits.

The longer the shutdown lasts, the more likely it is that lower-paid essential workers like the TSA employees who oversee airport security checkpoints will opt to call out of work. Travelers are more likely to encounter longer lines as a result.

"While the vast majority of TSA's nationwide operations remain minimally impacted by the government shutdown, occasional delays at some security checkpoints are to be expected," a spokesperson for the agency said.

In addition, dozens of staffing shortages at air-traffic control facilities have prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to slow plane traffic at airports across the country for several weeks, contributing to thousands of flight delays.

There were 22 "staffing triggers" at air-traffic control sites across the country on Saturday alone, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during a Sunday appearance on Fox News program "Sunday Morning Futures."

"You can see the stress," Duffy said of air-traffic controllers. "These are people that oftentimes live paycheck to paycheck." Tuesday of this week was the first full paycheck that air-traffic controllers missed since the shutdown began, he said.

Staffing triggers occur when the number of personnel at a given facility is below optimal levels and can lead to the FAA choosing to slow or stop air traffic. Since Saturday, more than 23,000 flights in or out of U.S. airports have been delayed, though weather, tech outages and airport construction have also contributed to that figure.

A spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in an email that the union "has consistently warned that the controller staffing shortage leaves the system vulnerable, and the recent events underscore the urgent need to accelerate hiring and training."

Write to Jacob Passy at jacob.passy@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 29, 2025 12:08 ET (16:08 GMT)

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