The end may be near to the significant airport security delays we have seen at airports across the country.
Despite the current partial government shutdown, it appears that Transportation Security Administration officials are about to receive a paycheck for the first time in several weeks.
In a social media post Thursday, President Donald Trump ordered newly installed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin “to immediately pay” TSA agents, citing an “emergency” situation at airports.
The big question now: Whether a paycheck on Friday could quickly end the Massive calls that the TSA has faced in recent weeks, which has led to three- and four-hour security lines at several of the country’s busiest centers.
TSA officers have been working without pay since February 14 amid a shutdown at DHS.
As of Thursday night, lawmakers had yet to reach a funding deal that would end the shutdown and were about to leave the city for a two-week recess. With no agreement in place, it appeared the Trump administration had opted to use executive action to pay the officers.
In a statement Thursday night, the nonpartisan U.S. Travel Association “applauded” the move, though it warned it would serve merely as an “interim measure.”
Meanwhile, a lobbying group for major US airlines said paying TSA officers would “help restore order” at airports.
TSA delays continue to increase
The terminals have been anything but tidy as this shutdown has dragged on.
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Travelers have faced the longest average wait times in the TSA’s nearly 25-year history, the agency’s top leader said this week.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) are among the hardest hit, with travelers regularly encountering four-hour traffic jams on some of the worst days.
Other hubs have had to close certain security checkpoints, and fast-track services like Clear and TSA PreCheck have been suspended at some terminals.
TSA officials warned that some smaller airports could be forced to suspend service if conditions got much worse.
“We are forced to consolidate lanes and may have to close smaller airports if we don’t have enough bids. It’s a fluid, challenging and unpredictable situation,” Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill testified this week on Capitol Hill.
Will TSA lines return to normal?
Even if TSA officers are paid quickly, as expected, it is still uncertain how quickly airport security checkpoints will return to normal wait times.
One reason for optimism: After last fall’s broader federal shutdown finally ended after 43 days, calls between air traffic controllers immediately decreased and flight operations quickly improved.
Will it be the same with TSA agents?
Travelers, airlines and policymakers alike can hope.
However, it’s important to note: TSA agents have now had to endure not one, but two, 40-plus day shutdowns since October, and went without pay during both periods.
Therefore, it is certainly possible that it will take some time for TSA checkpoint operations to return to normal.
And if you’re heading to the airport this weekend, especially Friday and Sunday, I would still prepare for the possibility of longer-than-normal lines. Here is a summary of me Top tips for getting through security during this unpredictable stretch.
Airlines issue travel exemptions
Late Thursday night, Delta Air Lines had flexible travel exemptions in effect for customers of ATL and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
United Airlines had done the same for its Houston center.
and how TPG reported Earlier this week, low-cost airline Allegiant Air had given its customers significant flexibility to change their tickets during the closure.
TSA app remains unreliable
Also, please note: The TSA app that normally displays live checkpoint wait times will likely remain unreliable as it is not updated regularly during a federal shutdown.
And although the agents were to be paid, the agency itself remains technically closed.
Your bet before heading to the airport: Continue checking your airport’s website and social media, and see if it offers its own wait time tracker.
In a nutshell
Even beyond this federal shutdown (which, by the way, is not technically over yet), long-term concerns remain at airports.
Some 480 TSA agents have already left their jobs since this latest partial federal shutdown began, McNeill testified this week.
And considering it takes months to train new employees, he said this could pose a major problem ahead of one of the biggest sporting events of the century in the U.S. this summer.
“This is a terrible situation,” McNeill said. “We face a potential perfect storm of severe staff shortages and an influx of millions of passengers into our airports for World Cup matches in less than 80 days.”
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