Airlines Say They’re Close to a ‘Tipping Point’ Due to the Shutdown

American, Southwest, JetBlue warn of potential delays, lines
FAA doesn’t see performance lag; TSA absenteeism has risen

U.S. airline stocks took off despite concerns of a hit from the partial government shutdown. Ramy Inocencio reports.(Source: Bloomberg)

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By Mary Schlangenstein, Justin Bachman, and Alan Levin

January 24, 2019 at 3:46 PM UTC

Updated on

January 24, 2019 at 6:29 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

U.S. airline bosses stepped up their criticism of the partial government shutdown, warning that the closing threatens to snarl air travel.

“We are close to a tipping point as employees are about to miss a second paycheck,’’ JetBlue Airways Corp. Chief Executive Officer Robin Hayes said on a conference call Thursday with analysts and investors. “The longer this goes on, the longer it will take for the nation’s air travel infrastructure to rebound.’’