TSA Staff Shortages Trigger Hours-Long Security Lines at Several U.S. Airports

Travellers across the United States are facing unusually long security lines at airports as staffing shortages linked to the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown continue to disrupt operations.

Reports from several major airports indicate wait times stretching from one to three hours at security checkpoints, with some terminals advising passengers to arrive four to five hours before departure. Airports in Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta and other large hubs have experienced the most severe delays.

Impacts and delays

These delays come as spring break travel reaches its peak and the TSA faces staffing shortages due to the partial shutdown of the U.S. government, which affects the Department of Homeland Security, the agency responsible for overseeing the TSA.

The longest waits were reported at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport, where security screening lines reached nearly three hours on March 8, according to TSA data. Airport authorities advised travellers to arrive four to five hours before their departure due to increased traffic linked to the spring break travel period.

Chaos and disruption

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Transportation Security Administration, shared photos of long security lines on social media, attributing the disruptions to the ongoing political impasse in Washington and warning that spring break travel is being affected.

Funding for the department expired in mid-February following a standoff between Republicans and Democrats over federal immigration reform. With TSA employees expected to miss their first paycheck this week, a growing number of officers have taken unscheduled leave, contributing to longer lines and delays at airport security checkpoints.

At Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport, TSA screening lines again stretched beyond three hours on Monday morning, according to the agency. Similar delays were reported there on Sunday, prompting airport officials to continue advising passengers to arrive four to five hours before their scheduled departure.

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport advised passengers on Sunday to arrive at least three hours before their flight ​and warned delays could continue the rest of the week.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is also urging travellers to arrive early for their flights and allow extra time to clear security. As of 9 a.m. ET, wait times were approaching one hour.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport also reported longer-than-usual lines over the weekend.

Photos taken Sunday afternoon at Bush Intercontinental showed security queues extending outside the terminal, with travellers lined up along the sidewalk in the arrivals area.

TSA officers received only a partial paycheck on February 28 and are expected to miss their first full paycheck on March 14.

“Airlines have done their part to prepare; now Congress and the administration must act with urgency to reach a deal that reopens DHS and ends this shutdown,” Chris Sununu, chief executive of Airlines for America, an industry group that represents American Airline, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines. (as reported to CNN.)