TSA staffing shortages are easing across the country, and with them, security wait times at several major airports.
Following an executive order from President Donald Trump, many TSA employees are receiving at least some back pay for the weeks they have worked with no compensation. At the same time, screening lines at airports such as Houston Bush and Atlanta – which have seen waits of up to four hours on certain days – are moving faster.
According to Hartsfield-Jackson’s dedicated TSA wait times page, travelers were clearing the main checkpoint for domestic flights in only two minutes Wednesday afternoon.
Still, other large airports continued to see longer than normal lines on Tuesday and Wednesday, including LaGuardia and Newark, New Jersey.
The limited recovery could be put to the test Thursday and Friday as spring break travel picks up ahead of the weekend. Since the partial federal government shutdown began in February, security bottlenecks have been at their worst Friday through Monday, and ease by midweek.
TSA agents who have spoken with national and local media outlets over the last two days confirmed they are receiving back pay, though some said they received an incorrect amount. It is also not clear if officers will continue to be paid moving forward, as the president’s order provided for retroactive pay going back to Feb. 14.
The White House has not said where exactly the money for TSA back pay is coming from, though some experts have zeroed in on a section of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed last year, as the likely source.
The labor union that represents TSA employees has said that over 500 workers have departed the agency so far, and those who remain are struggling to make ends meet. One official said some agents have been evicted, had their cars repossessed, or are falling behind on other urgent bills.
