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United Airlines CEO warns an extended shutdown will hurt bookings

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United Airlines CEO warns an extended shutdown will hurt bookings


CEO of United Airline Scott Kirby speaks during the Semafor 2025 World Economy Summit at Conrad Washington on April 24, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Alex Wong | Getty Images

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the federal government shutdown could hurt bookings if it continues.

Despite the funding impasse, essential federal employees including Transportation Security Administration officers and air traffic controllers are required to work without pay. The shutdown started Oct. 1 as Congress failed to pass a funding bill.

Speaking on an earnings call on Thursday, Kirby said the shutdown so far hasn’t impacted the carrier’s business.

“I think that at least for the first couple of weeks, people thought it was going to get resolved, so they just kind of continued business as usual,” he said. “But as time goes on, as people read headlines and say, ‘it’s not going to get resolved soon.’ People start to lose confidence in the government and the government’s ability to resolve this. And that’s going to start to impact bookings.”

Kirby said there isn’t an exact cutoff for when the airline could start to see an impact, but added “every day that goes by, the risk to the U.S. economy grows. So I hope we will avoid an unforced error here.”

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Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian last week made a similar warning about how a prolonged shutdown could affect air travel but emphasized that the airline’s operation hadn’t been affected.

The shutdown has raised concerns about already thin-staffing among air traffic controllers, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Insufficient staffing at some FAA facilities last week disrupted flights at airports, including in Nashville, Tennessee, and Burbank, California.

Members of the union that represents U.S. air traffic controllers handed out leaflets outside of LaGuardia Airport in New York, as well as in Washington, D.C., and Chicago on Tuesday to urge the public to ask lawmakers to end the shutdown.

A more-than-monthlong shutdown starting in late 2018 ended hours after a shortage of air traffic controllers snarled air travel in the New York area.



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Ryanair flight from Milan to Manchester leaves passengers behind due to border delays

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Ryanair flight from Milan to Manchester leaves passengers behind due to border delays



New European border rules have caused delays at airports across the continent, affecting flights.



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‘A win-win for both nations!’ Three-day India-US trade talks to begin this week – The Times of India

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‘A win-win for both nations!’ Three-day India-US trade talks to begin this week – The Times of India


India and the United States are set to resume trade talks this week, taking a “great step to finalize” the proposed agreement. Taking to social media platform X, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said “The Indian trade delegation will be arriving in Washington this week. A great step to finalize our bilateral trade deal. A win-win for both nations!”This week, a delegation of around a dozen officials will be travelling from New Delhi to Washington for discussions on the first phase of the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA). The talks are scheduled from April 20 to 22 and will be led by India’s chief negotiator Darpan Jain, additional secretary in the department of commerce. The team will also include officials from the customs department and the ministry of external affairs.The negotiations come against the backdrop of recent changes in the US tariff system, prompting both sides to revisit parts of the trade agreement finalised earlier this year and released on February 7.A key development was the US Supreme Court striking down reciprocal tariffs imposed under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Following this, the US administration introduced a temporary flat 10% tariff on all countries for 150 days from February 24.These changes led to the postponement of a planned February meeting between the chief negotiators. The rescheduled talks in Washington will now proceed under the revised tariff framework.Alongside tariff issues, the discussions are also expected to cover two investigations initiated by the US Trade Representative under Section 301 of its trade law. India has refuted the allegations and is seeking withdrawal of the probes, arguing that the initiation notices do not provide adequate justification.



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Oil prices jump after Trump says Iranian ship seized

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Oil prices jump after Trump says Iranian ship seized



Energy markets have seen wild swings since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.



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