Spring break is almost here \u2014 and with it comes travel chaos.<\/p>\n
This weekend, thousands of New York City-area students and their families are hitting the road and taking to the skies. The timing isn\u2019t great. Airport security checkpoint lines are easing up<\/a> after some TSA workers began receiving backpay amid the ongoing partial government shutdown, but callout rates still remain well above-average. And gas is pushing past $4 a gallon as President Donald Trump\u2019s war in Iran continues without any clear end in sight.<\/p>\n Travelers should be patient whether they\u2019re going by plane or car, officials and experts say.<\/p>\n Area airports are expecting a higher number of passengers this weekend and next, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.<\/p>\n The Port Authority will have extra staff on hand to help travelers through the process, but spring breakers should still leave themselves plenty of time to get through \u201cbaggage check and all that other stuff and be able to get to their gate for their departure,\u201d said Sarah McKeon, the Port Authority\u2019s director of aviation.<\/p>\n That means the usual two hours for domestic flights and three for international is really a minimum during any spring break travel period \u2014 even when current events aren\u2019t adding further complications.<\/p>\n McKeon also suggested travelers check airport websites for terminal wait times, which will be regularly updated.<\/p>\n \u201cMy favorite thing to remind passengers is pack your patience, right?\u201d McKeon said. \u201cIt’s the first big spike of passenger volumes in our annual calendar and patience goes a long way to making the experience less difficult.”<\/p>\n Expect ICE personnel to still be on hand at regional and other airports as well, though it isn\u2019t clear<\/a> they\u2019re having much of an effect on wait times.<\/p>\n On the upside, the TSA lines have generally improved over the past few days, McKeon said.<\/p>\n Trump issued an order last week releasing funds to pay security staff after a mounting crisis sent the nation’s airports into chaos as thousands of agents called out of work.<\/p>\n