March 8 - Security screening lines at multiple U.S. airports extended into multi-hour waits on Sunday as absences among Transportation Security Administration personnel increased while spring-break travel was already rising.
Houston Hobby Airport at one point reported average wait times of 3.5 hours on Sunday, and by 4 p.m. EDT the airport said average waits were running three hours. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport attributed longer-than-normal lines to a shortage of TSA workers at the security checkpoint and advised passengers scheduled to travel that day to arrive at least three hours before departure.
The Department of Homeland Security said that longer-than-average lines were also reported at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Operational funding for DHS lapsed on February 13 after Congress did not reach an agreement on immigration enforcement reforms demanded by Democrats. The lapse halted operational funding for several agencies, including the TSA, and left about 50,000 TSA airport security screeners working without pay.
DHS said travelers are encountering TSA lines of up to nearly three hours at some major airports, producing missed flights and substantial delays during peak travel periods. The department criticized Democrats in Congress for not reaching a deal to restore funding, saying that TSA workers "now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages."
Industry groups cautioned last week that the shutdown could interfere with spring-break travel. Trade association Airlines for America said carriers are expecting 171 million passengers to fly during the spring period, an increase of 4% over the same two-month period last year, according to Chris Sununu, the association's CEO.
Sununu said there is concern that action will not be taken until delays become severe. He warned, "The fear is that, once again, they’re not going to act until something really desperate happens, until we get long lines." Sununu also noted that spring-break travel pressure will intensify as TSA workers face their first zero paycheck on March 13.
Separately, Ha Nguyen McNeill, the top TSA official, informed Congress last month that roughly 1,110 transportation security officers left the agency in October and November 2025 following a 43-day government shutdown - a departure level that represented more than a 25% increase compared with the same period in 2024.
This developing situation links immediate staffing and payroll disruptions with operational impacts at major airport checkpoints during a high-demand travel season. Airports and carriers are managing longer screening lines and advising passengers to allow extra time for departure processing.