TSA delays boil over 3 weeks into partial government shutdown

Airport security wait times soared across the country on Sunday, three weeks into a partial government shutdown.

From Houston to Atlanta, New Orleans and Charlotte, travelers ran into long backups at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints — as TSA staffing shortages led to long lines, delaying flights at some hubs and causing many more passengers to miss flights.

Hit the hardest: Houston Hobby Airport (HOU), a major base for Southwest Airlines, where the TSA reported average wait times neared 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 ahead of their flight.

Elsewhere, the TSA reported hourlong average backups at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY).

At ATL, those security delays came after weather snarled air traffic in recent days. Dozens of departures were canceled Sunday — about 4% of the day’s schedule at the world’s busiest airport, and megahub for Delta Air Lines.

The TSA also reported elevated checkpoint wait times at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (51 minutes) and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (47 minutes) Sunday.

Biggest TSA disruption since partial shutdown began

This latest airport security crunch game as the partial government shutdown affecting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — which oversees TSA — entered its fourth week.

TSA officers 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 fall government shutdown, though both of Houston’s hubs saw mass TSA delays on one weekend in early November.

Until now, we had yet to see major airport security disruptions as a result of the shutdown.

But now, that appears to be changing.

And it’s prompting leaders across the aviation and travel sectors to levy criticism on lawmakers in Washington, still stuck in a stalemate.

“As TSA officers are facing a $0 paycheck this week, we are seeing firsthand the significant strains that the current DHS shutdown is causing across the aviation system,” said Chris Sununu, CEO of the airline trade group Airlines for America (formerly the governor of New Hampshire) in a statement Sunday evening.

“The shutdown is having very real consequences, and hardworking federal aviation workers, the airline industry and our passengers are being used as a political football once again,” Sununu added. “This is simply unacceptable.”

TSA PreCheck and Global Entry: What to know

Despite Sunday’s security slowdown, TSA PreCheck remained operational.

That’s notable after DHS on Feb. 22 reportedly considered shuttering the fast-tracked lanes, blaming it on the shutdown.

The Trump administration ultimately reversed course on that plan.

However, Global Entry remained shut down at airports across the country on Sunday weeks after DHS did move forward with suspending that expedited passport control program operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

That means travelers returning home to the U.S. from abroad can expect to wait in the standard customs lanes, unless they are able to access a separate shortcut option like Mobile Passport Control.

What to know about TSA this week

If you’re planning to fly in the coming days, I’d certainly plan to get to the airport a good 30 minutes (at a minimum) earlier than you normally would — and get there even earlier if you don’t have access to a program that expedites your trip through security like TSA PreCheck or Clear.

Also, be sure to follow your airport on social media. Major hubs that have been most affected by this weekend’s TSA delays have been posting updates and advice for travelers, and giving flyers a sense of how early to get to the terminal — like ATL did, as shown below.

Also, don’t forget: If you have TSA PreCheck access (including via Global Entry) you should be eligible to use the TSA’s ultrafast TSA PreCheck Touchless ID program, which is among the fastest ways to get through airport security on a normal day.

A fast-growing list of airports and airlines now offer the service. You’ll need to opt in via your carrier in order to use this service, though.

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