TSA Warns Travelers to Expect Longer Wait Times at Airports During Government Shutdown

Passengers across the country may experience longer wait times at airport security as the government shutdown drags on into a full week, forcing travelers to pack their patience.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) warned of longer wait times at airports across the country the longer the government remains shut down. Both TSA officers and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controllers are classified as essential workers and will continue to work throughout the shutdown.

“While TSA is prepared to continue screening about 2.5 (million) passengers a day, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports,” a TSA spokesperson shared with Travel + Leisure. “We kindly ask for our passengers’ patience during this time.”

The TSA spokesperson concluded: “Despite this challenge, we will remain vigilant and focused on performing our vital security mission on behalf of the American people.”

The agency added a more politically charged statement on X, blaming the funding lapse and the shutdown on “partisan politics of left-wing politicians.”

Typically, the TSA updates security wait times on its app, MyTSA. However, a note published on the main dashboard of the app warns the information “will not be actively managed” during the shutdown.

In some cases, individual airports publish their own wait times. New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), for example, publishes real-time security wait times on its website. Orlando International Airport (MCO) similarly publishes security wait times on the homepage of its website.

While TSA and FAA workers are required to show up for work without receiving a paycheck, staffing issues have caused delays at several airports with a slight rise in employees calling out sick since the shutdown began, according to Reuters. This has affected airports in Newark, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, and Burbank. At the Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), the air traffic control tower was temporarily unmanned on Monday due to staffing shortages, the Los Angeles Times reportedresulting in flight delays and cancellations.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were just over 1,300 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States and just over 30 cancellations, according to flight tracker FlightAware. On Monday, there were more than 6,100 delays across the country, including 42 flights that were departing from Burbank (amounting to 23 percent of the airport’s outgoing schedule).

Typically, furloughed government employees are paid retroactively. However, a White House memo says that these furloughed federal workers may not be eligible for back pay, Politico reported.