A fight over how easily airline employees can unionize -- with Delta Airlines right at the forefront -- stands in the way of long-term funding for the Federal Aviation Administration. Sept. 16 will mark the expiration of a congressional stopgap measure that ended a partial shutdown of the agency, putting airport inspections and construction projects back on track. If lawmakers such as Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson can't forge a compromise, many of the 2,500 FAA employees based in Atlanta -- not including air traffic controllers -- could face furloughs. With Congress set to return next week, the AJC will keep you right on top this evolving conflict.

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Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport domestic terminal on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, the first day of the Federal Aviation Administration cutting flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com