Air traffic controllers monitor planes at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on July 1, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times
Alongside strong customer demand for the fourth quarter of 2025 and a positive outlook for the first half of 2026, Delta Air Lines reported in regulatory filings on Dec. 3 that it lost $200 million in pre-tax profits due to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
The government shutdown began at midnight on Sept. 30 and lasted 43 days—a six-week span in which air traffic controllers worked without pay. Lengthy flight delays became common as the shutdown dragged on, and on Nov. 6, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a 10 percent reduction in domestic flights at 40 of the country’s busiest airports.
