Several major U.S. airlines have begun offering free meals to air traffic controllers working without pay during the ongoing federal government shutdown. United Airlines (UA), Delta Air Lines (DL), and JetBlue Airways (B6) are among the carriers taking part, according to a report by Business Insider. The gesture comes as controllers face their first fully missed paycheck since the shutdown began on October 1, 2025.
Air traffic control is classified as an essential federal service, so controllers must keep working even without pay. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employs roughly 14,000 air traffic controllers nationwide. Staffing shortages tied to the shutdown have already disrupted more than 8,000 flights in a single day at 22 major airports.
Why are US Airlines Offering Free Meals for ATCs?
This is an extraordinary scenario for US Aviation. The FAA reported that the United States has around 14,000 Air Traffic Controllers in the United States. These ATCs are responsible for the extraordinary number of planes that operate in and out of the US airspace.
11,000 of the 14,000 ATC in the United States of America missed paychecks “amounting to two weeks of compensation on Tuesday, marking the first time they’ve gone entirely unpaid since the shutdown began on Oct. 1”, reported Times magazine. As Air Traffic Control services are deemed to be “essential”, employees need to work even during the shutdown.
The FAA is authorized to employ around 14,600 air traffic controllers, but the agency has been chronically understaffed for years. Independent reporting shows the actual controller workforce numbers closer to 11,000, a shortfall of roughly 3,600 positions that existed even before the shutdown began. That means nearly all currently working controllers, not just a fraction of a fully staffed workforce, missed their first full paycheck this week.
The transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, warned at a press conference at the LaGuardia airport in New York City this week that while the absence of the first paycheck might be insignificant, other missed paychecks could unfurl unprecedented problems for the ATCs:
“Many of our controllers can make it without this first paycheck; they’ve been in the job 10, 15, 20 years; they’ve planned for days like this..This is day one..Day two gets harder, [and] day three is harder after that, as expenses continue to roll [in].”
At the same press conference, Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, argued that the situation was more complicated than Duffy suggested. Daniels highlighted the intense concentration required of air traffic controllers, who must remain fully focused throughout their shifts, while many were also dealing with financial pressures caused by the government shutdown.
He said some controllers were worried about meeting basic household expenses, including medical costs for their children. Daniels said he had received a message from one controller describing fears about affording medication for a child — an account relayed by the union rather than independently verified.
It has been reported that officials in the Trump administration have explored potential methods to cover the more than $500 million in monthly salaries owed to air traffic controllers but were unable to identify any available funds. On Sunday this week, staffing shortage had resulted in nearly half of the delays reported at US airports – a figure that dropped by almost 20 % the next day. At the time of writing, the author reported the following data about the cancellation of flights in the US from Flight Aware:
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| Cancellations (U.S.) | 441 |
| Cancellations (Worldwide) | 854 |
| Delays (U.S.) | 4,046 |
| Delays (Worldwide) | 16,437 |
There are others who have chipped in at these difficult times for the Air Traffic Controllers in the US
In a piece published in Business Insider, the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Nick Daniels, said that even flight attendants, airline pilots, and even Canadian air traffic controllers have been chipping in with free food to the ATC:
- At San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Alaska Airlines pilots provided pizzas to controllers
- Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents over 80,000 pilots, has been delivering meals almost every day to affected workers, confirmed Pete LeFevre, a controller and union representative in Washington, D.C.
- The Association of Flight Attendants, representing over 50,000 crew members, also joined the initiative,
- Teamsters Local 357 — the union representing Republic Airways crew — has been delivering food to controllers in Indianapolis, where the airline is based.
What is the Solution Beyond Providing Free Meals to the ATCs?
Air traffic controllers remain essential to the safe operation of the aviation system, but high salaries do not necessarily shield them from financial pressures. Rising living and healthcare costs in the United States can place significant strain on household budgets, particularly when federal employees go without regular pay during a government shutdown.
The political dispute between Democrats and Republicans was a major factor behind the funding deadlock. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., introduced legislation that sought to fund air traffic controllers, military personnel and other essential federal workers, but the measure failed to secure the 60 votes required in the Senate. It received 54 votes in favor and 45 against, with only three Senate Democrats — John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — supporting it.
Federal employees affected by the shutdown are expected to receive back pay once the government resumes operations.
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