TSA Wait Times Extend to Two Hours in More Airports as Shutdown Hits Week 5

Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) have now gone weeks without pay, and the fallout is starting to cause major issues at airports across the U.S., with no clear end in sight.

As of 7 a.m. Friday, security wait times are most severe at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), where travelers are facing delays of up to 2.5 hours. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is seeing waits of up to two hours, while the two New York City airports, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA), are both averaging about 45 minutes.

Waits are also beginning to extend at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Denver International Airport (DEN), Miami International Airport (MIA), and Orlando International Airport (MCO), with all four reporting times close to 30 minutes.

These two-hour-plus wait times are becoming the morning norm. Just this week, similar delays were reported at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), where lines stretched outside the terminals and onto the sidewalks. At Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), the situation has become so unpredictable that officials are now advising travelers to arrive at least three hours before their scheduled departures to avoid missing flights.

On Thursday, the U.S. Travel Association, in a joint letter with a number of its industry partners, again called on Congress to ensure TSOs are both paid and protected.

“Members of Congress continue to be paid and move to the front of security lines while TSOs work for free and travelers wait for hours. That is unacceptable,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “Congress is leaving TSOs out in the cold for a second time in less than six months, gambling with aviation safety and security while millions of travelers depend on a workforce running on empty. They need to end the DHS shutdown. Now.”

There hasn’t been much hope for a resolution yet, despite the pressure from inside the travel industry. The partial shutdown is only impacting DHS, which does not include air traffic controllers (ATCs), the sticking point that eventually brought past shutdowns, including an extended one late last year that lasted into 2026, to an end.

On Thursday, according to reports, senators from both sides of the aisle met in person for the first time since the shutdown began. Both the House and Senate are currently scheduled to leave for a two-week Easter and Passover recess at the end of next week, Friday, March 27. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has threatened to cancel the recess if a deal to fund the DHS is not reached by then.