Security wait times at airports spiked across the country on Sunday, three weeks into a partial government shutdown.
From Houston to Atlanta, New Orleans and Charlotte, travelers encountered long traffic jams at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints as TSA staffing shortages led to long lines, delays at some hubs and caused many more passengers to miss flights.
Hardest hit: Houston Hobby Airport (HOU), a major base for Southwest Airlines, where the TSA reported average wait times were approaching three hours as the weekend wound down. In a social media post Sunday afternoon, the airport urged passengers to arrive at the terminal four to five hours before their flight.
Elsewhere, the TSA reported average hour-long traffic jams at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY).
In ATL, those security delays came after weather affected air traffic in recent days. Dozens of departures were canceled on Sunday – about 4% of the day’s schedule at the world’s busiest airport and Delta Air Lines mega-hub.
The TSA also reported high wait times Sunday at checkpoints at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (51 minutes) and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (47 minutes).
Largest TSA outage since partial shutdown began
This latest airport security crisis comes as the partial government shutdown affecting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA, entered its fourth week.
TSA agents are essential federal employees and are expected to continue reporting to work during a shutdown, but without a paycheck.
Those officers went more than a month without pay during the much larger government shutdown in the fall, although both Houston centers suffered massive TSA delays on a weekend in early November.
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Until now, we had not yet seen major disruptions to airport security as a result of the lockdown.
But now that seems to be changing.
And it is prompting leaders in the aviation and travel sectors to criticize lawmakers in Washington, who are still deadlocked.
“As TSA officers face a $0 paycheck this week, we are seeing firsthand the significant strains that the current DHS shutdown is causing across the entire aviation system,” Chris Sununu, CEO of airline trade group Airlines for America (formerly the governor of New Hampshire), said in a statement Sunday night.
“The shutdown is having very real consequences, and federal aviation workers, the airline industry and our passengers are once again being used as a political football,” Sununu added. “This is simply unacceptable.”
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry: What you need to know
Despite Sunday’s security slowdown, TSA PreCheck remained operational.
This is notable after DHS on February 22 reportedly considered closing express lanes, blaming the closure.
The Trump administration ultimately changed course on that plan.
However, global entry They remained closed at airports across the country. on Sunday, weeks after DHS moved forward with suspending that expedited passport control program operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
That means travelers returning to the United States from abroad can wait in standard customs lanes, unless they can access a separate direct access option like Mobile Passport Control.
What to know about the TSA this week
If you plan to fly in the next few days, I would certainly plan to arrive at the airport a good 30 minutes (at least) earlier than normal, and arrive even earlier if you don’t have access to a program that expedites your travel through security like TSA PreCheck or Clear.
Also, be sure to follow your airport on social media. The major hubs that have been most affected by this weekend’s TSA delays have been posting updates and advice for travelers, and giving travelers an idea of how early they should arrive at the terminal, as ATL did, as shown below.
Also, don’t forget: If you have access to TSA PreCheck (even through Global Entry), you should be eligible to use TSA’s ultra-fast system. TSA PreCheck contactless identification program, which is one of the quickest ways to get through airport security on a typical day.
TO Fast growing list of airports and airlines We now offer the service. However, you will need to register through your operator to use this service.
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