Most San Diego airport security officers received at least half a paycheck Monday, and while lines were still longer than usual, the situation had improved compared to last week.
Transportation Security Administration employees are still caught up in a partial government shutdown, but they started receiving some pay because of an emergency order issued last week from President Donald Trump. Lack of pay for more than 40 days caused substantial delays across the nation during the busy spring break travel season as TSA workers called out of work.
Still, the union that represents TSA workers said some officers had only received half of their back pay. Nyrine Washington, a San Diego spokeswoman with the American Federation of Government Employees union that represents TSA employees, said “a substantial amount of money is still missing from paychecks.”
Homeland Security officials said Monday that they were working to make sure all TSA workers get full back pay as soon as possible. Similar reports of missing pay periods were common across the U.S., not just in San Diego.
There is still increased traffic at the airport because many Southern California schools have two weeks off for spring break. San Diego International Airport continues to encourage passengers to arrive at least 2 1/2 hours before flights. It said the busiest times tend to be 5 to 8 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 5 to 7 p.m.
Airport spokeswoman Nicole Hall said lines were shorter Monday morning compared to last week but are still longer than typical.
“We’re happy to see lines are not as long today,” she said, “and we’re hoping that will continue to get better throughout the week.”
TSA lines in San Diego typically open around 4:15 a.m. so getting there before that may not be worth it. The San Diego Union-Tribune talked to a flyer last week who got to the airport before 4 a.m. Airlines typically open kiosks around the same time for checking bags, but it isn’t a guarantee. It’s possible for passengers to get to the airport as TSA opens but still have to wait for their airline to open.
Hall encouraged travelers to check with individual airlines about when bag checks start because it can vary.
Robert Mack, a lead transportation officer at San Diego International Airport, said Monday he had received half his back pay but was concerned about future funding. The president’s executive order was a temporary move and not a long-term funding solution. Congress has now entered a two-week recess without coming to an agreement.
Lawmakers have held up funding in a fight over what some say is an aggressive approach to immigration enforcement. Many Democrats want to reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has left other Homeland Security agencies without pay: The Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and civilians in the U.S. Coast Guard
Outside of funding, there continued to be normal reasons for delays at San Diego’s airport. A heavy marine layer Monday morning led to a slowdown in departures and arrivals. There were over 150 delays by Monday evening, said Flight Aware. On Thursday, a lack of air traffic controllers (not related to funding woes) led to nearly 200 delays.
President Trump sent ICE agents last week to several airports across the nation to assist TSA agents, and threatened to also send the National Guard. Neither agency has appeared at San Diego International Airport.