Long security lines continued to hold up travelers at major airports this week as a growing number of TSA agents call out of work or quit their jobs.
On Monday and Tuesday, long lines were reported at Atlanta, LaGuardia, Houston Bush, Newark, New Jersey, New Orleans, and JFK. These airports have seen among the highest TSA call-out rates since the partial shutdown of the federal government – which blocks funding for the Department of Homeland Security – began last month.
In a message on its website, LaGuardia said longer than usual security lines are expected again on Wednesday.
Hartsfield–Jackson in Atlanta, which now displays security wait times on its website, reported a 54-minute wait for its main domestic checkpoint as of 9 a.m. on Wednesday. The airport’s north checkpoint was moving quicker, at 35 minutes, and its main international checkpoint took only 14 minutes to clear.
Wait times often fluctuate throughout the day, and can be worse in the morning due to the change in shifts and the high volume of early flights.
There is also an element of unpredictability in the delays, since call-outs are not coordinated. At some airports, such as Reagan National, security lines are moving normally, with minimal waits.
Additionally, some airports use private companies to screen passengers. These airports, such as Kansas City, have not seen significant security backups.
TSA agents missed their first full paychecks last week after receiving only partial pay at the end of February. Over 300 staff have departed the agency since the partial shutdown began, and many are calling out of work as they scramble to make ends meet.
Lawmakers in Congress are hardly closer to breaking the funding impasse than they were one month ago. Democrats want to see changes to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies before they sign off on a new funding bill, but the White House has been reluctant to negotiate. Congressional Republicans have accused Democrats of unfairly targeting DHS to advance their own political goals.
