TSA wait times a wild card during DHS shutdown as staffing varies

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Travelers using U.S. airport security during a partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown have faced fluctuating TSA checkpoint wait times, driven by how many Transportation Security Administration officers report for shifts, officials and travelers said. On Thursday, passengers at Houston’s largest airport described hourslong delays before waits dropped later in the day, while airport officials at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport reported a wider range of experiences, including an early rush.

At Houston’s airports, the pattern described Thursday was dramatic within the same day. Travelers endured hourslong waits in the morning, then said conditions eased quickly, with wait times dropping to less than 10 minutes later. The swings contributed to some passengers missing flights or running to their gates as lines shifted faster than typical travel planning allows.

In Atlanta, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport officials reported that a day earlier the airport had seen some of the country’s longest TSA security lines. On Thursday, officials said wait times were largely moderate to low, though one checkpoint closed due to low staffing and lines during the early morning rush exceeded an hour.

Analysts said the timing of longer lines is difficult to predict because the issue can be tied to which TSA personnel show up, rather than to traveler volume alone. The roughly 50,000 federal workers who screen passengers and bags have been working without pay as lawmakers fail to agree on funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

The shutdown has also contributed to reported departures and absenteeism among TSA screeners. Homeland Security said at least 376 TSA agents have quit since the shutdown began on Feb. 14, and it reported that about 10% of TSA officers nationwide missed work each day between Monday and Wednesday. The agency said TSA employees saw their first income-free paydays last weekend.

Homeland Security also reported absentee rates at specific airports earlier in the week. On Wednesday, it said about 38% of TSA officers called out of work at airports in Atlanta and Houston, Philadelphia International Airport reported 33% of officers there said they would not be in, and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport saw a 25% absentee rate. MSI previously reported on how the shutdown was translating into longer security queues for travelers.

Travelers and travel experts said expedited options can help, but they are not guaranteed to solve the problem when screening lanes are reduced. Eric Rosen, director of travel content for The Points Guy, said programs that let passengers skip ahead—including TSA PreCheck and Clear+—can be especially valuable during the shutdown.

Rosen said that when wait times hit three hours in Houston recently, getting through the TSA PreCheck line took 10 minutes, and he said the slowdown conditions are revealing the “true value” of those programs. He said Clear+ also allows members, for a paid subscription, to bypass the line for identity and boarding pass verification and move directly to bag screening, though the company declined to say whether its membership levels have increased over the past month.

But travelers reported that lane availability can vary enough to blunt the benefit of expedited status. Traveler Sara Oberton said Thursday that she and other Houston passengers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport’s Terminal E were funneled into one line regardless of whether they had Clear+ or TSA PreCheck, and said it took her three hours to get through, causing her to miss a flight to Los Angeles. An airport spokesperson declined to confirm the specifics, saying only that the number of available TSA screening lanes can vary based on staffing levels.

Rosen also advised passengers to ask airlines if they can cut the line if they arrive early but still face the risk of missing a flight. He said it is “a little cringe” and uncomfortable, but told travelers that it is “not like showing up 20 minutes before your flight and expecting just to breeze through.”

At the same time, Rosen said airlines are not required to help stranded passengers reach the gate on time when TSA staffing issues delay security processing. He said, “It’s not on them to make sure that you get to the gate on time.”