Travelers at Palm Beach International Airport faced wait times of up to 30 minutes for TSA checks Thursday morning, as the ongoing government shutdown leaves TSA agents unpaid and callouts increase.Early Thursday morning, travelers were finding ways to pass the time while enduring long TSA lines at PBIA. “Just been looking around, staring at each other,” one traveler said. Another added, “I’ve been talking to people in line.”Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 NewsLong lines formed well before TSA opened at 4:15 a.m. and persisted for about two hours. “This is going to get worse before it gets better if we don’t see any sort of action from Congress,” an agency official said.The latest data shows that on Tuesday, 1 in every 10 TSA agents called out of work. This comes after a lapse in federal funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which pays TSA agents. Thursday marks Day 34 of agents going without pay, and employees received their first zero-dollar paycheck last week. The rate of unscheduled absences and callouts has spiked since then.Travelers Thursday were aware of the situation. “The rumors are true. We might not make it back,” one traveler said. “That’s why we came a little early so that we would hopefully make it.”Some travelers even came from the Fort Lauderdale Airport, hoping lines at PBIA would be better than at major airports like that one. Others tried to come earlier than they typically would. Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.”We woke up early around 3, even preparing for the drive early. An hour early. Then, still, we’re late. It looks like you got to wake up at midnight,” one traveler said.While most airports have not seen significant issues, TSA warns that if a deal is not reached, travelers will feel the impacts. “Over a hundred airports in the United States have around one or two lanes. And if we have a certain number of callouts increase, we might have to quite literally collapse those lanes and close those lanes, which could temporarily halt operations at that airport,” a TSA spokesperson said.The agency warns it could be forced to shut down smaller airports if a funding deal is not reached long term.PBIA sent our newsroom the following statement regarding long TSA lines:Palm Beach International Airport continues to closely coordinate with our federal partners and monitor conditions in the terminal. We encourage passengers to arrive two hours before their flight.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. —

Travelers at Palm Beach International Airport faced wait times of up to 30 minutes for TSA checks Thursday morning, as the ongoing government shutdown leaves TSA agents unpaid and callouts increase.

Early Thursday morning, travelers were finding ways to pass the time while enduring long TSA lines at PBIA.

“Just been looking around, staring at each other,” one traveler said.

Another added, “I’ve been talking to people in line.”

Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News

Long lines formed well before TSA opened at 4:15 a.m. and persisted for about two hours.

“This is going to get worse before it gets better if we don’t see any sort of action from Congress,” an agency official said.

The latest data shows that on Tuesday, 1 in every 10 TSA agents called out of work. This comes after a lapse in federal funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which pays TSA agents. Thursday marks Day 34 of agents going without pay, and employees received their first zero-dollar paycheck last week. The rate of unscheduled absences and callouts has spiked since then.

Travelers Thursday were aware of the situation.

“The rumors are true. We might not make it back,” one traveler said. “That’s why we came a little early so that we would hopefully make it.”

Some travelers even came from the Fort Lauderdale Airport, hoping lines at PBIA would be better than at major airports like that one. Others tried to come earlier than they typically would.

Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.

“We woke up early around 3, even preparing for the drive early. An hour early. Then, still, we’re late. It looks like you got to wake up at midnight,” one traveler said.

While most airports have not seen significant issues, TSA warns that if a deal is not reached, travelers will feel the impacts.

“Over a hundred airports in the United States have around one or two lanes. And if we have a certain number of callouts increase, we might have to quite literally collapse those lanes and close those lanes, which could temporarily halt operations at that airport,” a TSA spokesperson said.

The agency warns it could be forced to shut down smaller airports if a funding deal is not reached long term.

PBIA sent our newsroom the following statement regarding long TSA lines:

Palm Beach International Airport continues to closely coordinate with our federal partners and monitor conditions in the terminal. We encourage passengers to arrive two hours before their flight.