Some airports that reported four-hour lines are now experiencing wait times of 10 minutes or less.
Many U.S. airports reported significantly reduced security checkpoint wait times on March 30, with much of the worst pressure relieved after Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) officers received their first paychecks in weeks.
After seeing security lines that stretched for four hours during peak travel throughout the ongoing government shutdown, wait times at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport were down to 10 minutes or less on Monday.
Checkpoints were also moving smoothly at other high-volume airports such as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International and Baltimore-Washington International.
More than a month of partial government shutdown had left a wave of uncertainty among both travelers and TSA workers alike. Hundreds of TSA agents had quit while thousands more called out at least once since the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began in mid-February, and many travelers were told to arrive anywhere between three and five hours earlier than usual to their airports to avoid missing a flight.
TSA workers began receiving backpay on Monday for working during the government shutdown, which surpassed 45 days this week and has now broken the record set by last year’s funding lapse.
The relief came after President Donald Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security on Friday to immediately pay TSA officers following a weekslong standoff over the funding of DHS.
Democrats refused to fund the department without changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. Demands included requiring ICE agents to identify themselves, wear cameras, and stop wearing masks while conducting immigration enforcement operations. They were also pushing for ICE to require warrants from judges before conducting raids, and to avoid conducting operations at so-called sensitive locations such as medical facilities, schools, child care facilities, churches, polling places, and courts.
The White House and congressional Republicans appeared to be open to negotiating on some points suggested by Democrats, but a full deal to reopen Homeland Security and pay the workers in its subagencies affected by the shutdown has not materialized.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents a large number of TSA officers, called on all lawmakers to return to Washington to strike a deal to finally end the shutdown.
By Jacob Burg
