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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →SWAPA’s located message to Congress was a call to protect aviation operations during federal funding lapses—not evidence that Southwest Airlines delays are currently soaring. On December 17, 2025, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association endorsed a bill that would let the FAA access an aviation insurance fund during a funding lapse. Separate statements from the broader Modern Skies Coalition later described airport disruption during a DHS shutdown and advocated for air traffic control modernization. Those are distinct messages from different dates and sources.
What SWAPA asked Congress to do
On December 17, 2025, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) announced support for H.R. 6086, the Aviation Funding Solvency Act, introduced by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders Sam Graves and Rick Larsen. SWAPA said the bill would create a permanent mechanism for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to access the Aviation Insurance Revolving Fund during a funding lapse, helping keep frontline aviation professionals paid and safety-critical operations running. Read SWAPA’s statement.
SWAPA President Captain Jody Reven said, “Maintaining the highest safety standards demands a system that can operate without interruption.” He also said, “SWAPA firmly believes that Congress has a responsibility to safeguard the stability of our airspace by guaranteeing that the FAA’s mission is never compromised by political volatility.” These are SWAPA’s arguments for the bill, not an independent assessment of its effects.
How SWAPA connected funding lapses to disruption
SWAPA described the shutdown preceding its December 2025 statement as lasting 43 days. The association said funding lapses increased pressure on air traffic controllers, TSA and Customs and Border Protection officers, and FAA system specialists; it also said modernization and safety upgrades were postponed and travelers experienced widespread delays and cancellations. These impacts are the association’s account, not a quantified independent study of the shutdown’s effect on flights.
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In June 2025 congressional testimony, Reven separately called for technology upgrades, more air traffic controller staffing, and investment in FAA systems. His testimony argued that modernized gate-to-gate operations could reduce delays and improve passenger flow. That is SWAPA’s policy case for investment; it does not establish that staffing or technology caused any particular delay or explain every disruption.
What the later airport-delay reports said
A separate Modern Skies Coalition statement addressed a later DHS shutdown. On March 25, 2026, the coalition said TSA officers were on day 40 without a full paycheck, more than 400 TSA officers had quit, and airport wait times exceeded four hours, affecting thousands of passengers. Attribute those figures to the coalition’s statement; they are not SWAPA-specific findings or a measure of Southwest flight performance. Read the coalition’s March statement.
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The White House also quoted a March 2026 letter from airline CEOs, including Southwest’s CEO, urging Congress to fund DHS. The letter referred to delays and cancellations, TSA pay, long checkpoint lines, and an expectation of 171 million U.S. airline passengers during that spring season. The passenger figure was an estimate in the CEOs’ letter, as quoted by the White House, rather than a count of passengers who had already traveled. Read the White House account.
Modernization is a separate policy issue
On July 16, 2026, the Modern Skies Coalition said DOT and FAA leaders had identified another $20 billion as necessary to complete the “Brand New Air Traffic Control System” modernization effort. The coalition described early infrastructure work and argued that further modernization could improve safety and reduce delays. The $20 billion is an attributed funding estimate and the benefits are the coalition’s position; the statement does not establish a final project cost or a measured reduction in delays. Read the coalition’s modernization statement.
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Funding continuity and modernization address different problems. The SWAPA-endorsed measure concerns FAA access to a funding source during a lapse. The coalition’s later comments concern a modernization effort, while its March statement focused on TSA workers and airport checkpoint delays. The statements do not provide enough detail for a full legislative comparison of funding mechanisms or protections.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does this show Southwest delays are soaring?
No. The statements establish what SWAPA and the Modern Skies Coalition advocated and what disruption they reported in particular contexts. They do not provide a current operational dataset showing that Southwest delays are increasing, quantify shutdown-caused flight delays, or show that the reported checkpoint waits were Southwest-specific. A TSA checkpoint delay is also distinct from an airline’s on-time performance.
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Accordingly, the located SWAPA statement is best understood as advocacy for protecting aviation operations during funding lapses, rather than a new warning backed by data about Southwest’s delay trend. The coalition’s claims about a later shutdown and modernization should remain attributed to that coalition.
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