Travelers at some U.S. airports are dealing
with extremely long security lines, as the partial
government shutdown continues to cause TSA
staffing shortages, with a high rate of screeners quitting and calling out.
As essential personnel,
TSA workers are required to report to work even though they have not been paid
since the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) funding freeze began on February
14. And this blow comes just months after 2025’s longest federal government
shutdown in history, which lasted a record 43 days.
Instead of
waiting indefinitely for their backpay, many TSA employees are walking off the
job, leaving the traveling public in a lurch. Currently, the TSA’s average
callout rates nationwide are around 10 percent and more than 360 officers
have quit altogether.
But
interestingly, not every airport is seeing the same levels of disruption. Some
hubs are being disproportionately impacted by the TSA staffing shortage, while
others aren’t even noticeably affected.
At places like George
Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Texas — one of those airports
that’s been hit the hardest by callouts and resignations — things have gotten
pretty extreme. A report from The
U.S. Sun describes security lines stretching across two floors, with
travelers waiting around two and a half hours for screening during peak
periods.
At IAH, an
incredible 40 percent of TSA employees called out sick on a single day last
week. Travelers were reportedly instructed to arrive at the airport three hours
prior to departure for domestic flights and a whopping four hours prior for
international flights.
“Frankly, there’s
not much else we can do,” Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl told Fox &
Friends. “As the weeks continue, if this continues, it’s not hyperbole to
suggest that we may have to quite literally shut
down airports, particularly smaller ones, if call-out rates go up. A lot of
these officers can’t afford to come in.”
Travelers wait to go through TSA security at the airport (photo by Eric Bowman)
Why Some
Airports Are Doing Fine
However, there are
a handful of airports that appear to be managing just fine during the shutdown.
According to Fox
News, there are around 20 U.S. airports that do not rely on federally
employed TSA officers but instead use private contractors for their security screening
operations. This is made possible by the Screening Partnership Program, which
enables private companies to fulfill these duties under TSA supervision.
Because those
screeners are paid through pre-funded contracts, they’re getting paid during
the government shutdown and are not affected in the same way. Therefore, airport
security operations at these select airports continue as normal. These include
some smaller regional airports, such as Florida’s Orlando Sanford International
Airport (SFB), but also some major hubs like San Francisco International
Airport (SFO) and Kansas City International Airport (MCI).
“Our screeners
have continued to get paid throughout this government shutdown,” SFO
spokesperson Doug Yakel told the outlet, noting that it has enabled the airport
to maintain a “stable workforce” while others contend with chaos.
From a traveler
perspective, there’s really no difference in the screening process. “With
private screening, employees still have to be trained and follow the same
federal security standards as TSA,” said Daniel Bubb, a former pilot and
aviation expert at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Private screening
is still used at only a small number of airports, but Bubb said it’s starting
to garner more attention, especially with this being the second DHS-related
shutdown in about a five-month period.
“In some ways,
airports are experimenting with private screening programs to see what works
best,” he said, adding, “I wouldn't be surprised if more airports move toward
private screening to avoid these kinds of situations.”
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