AUSTIN, Texas — TSA staff shortages are creating longer lines than normal at some of the busiest U.S. airports. On Tuesday, more Transportation Security Administration agents arrived at Houston’s Hobby Airport, easing lines after three-hour delays. The partial federal government shutdown is being blamed for the ongoing problems.

The partial government shutdown began in mid-February, and 50,000 TSA officers are continuing to work without regular pay. That has led to staffing shortages and more people calling in absent, especially at airports in Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Charlotte.

Teachers and administrators are crowding into Downtown Austin for SXSW EDU.

The education conference preps Austin for the bigger South-By music and movie festival that starts later this week. This year, the warmup may be more critical than ever.

“Not knowing where to go, what to do, or if our flights are delayed, and how we’ll get back home,” said SXSW badge holder Theresa Ward.

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Ward is in Austin for SXSW EDU. She is worried the partial federal government shutdown will create prolonged delays at TSA checkpoints when she and thousands of others crowd the airport to head home from the conference on Thursday.

“We saw some news stories about some of the local airports, like in Houston, having delays. We are just going to try to monitor it and see if we need to add some extra hours into our travel to get home,” said Ward.

The newly opened fourth security checkpoint at the west end of the Barbara Jordan Terminal is helping to keep passengers moving.

“Currently, AUS is not experiencing any delays, but with the partial federal government shutdown still in place, those unanticipated delays may occur,” said Samantha Rojas, a spokesperson for the airport.

The next test is expected on Thursday, followed by busier days during Spring Break and the rest of the month.

“We are going to have extra staff here at the terminal. People from Human Resources and Finance are not usually here to help travelers with wayfinding or answer any questions that people have. They will just make it extra easy for people to get through,” said Rojas.

Zambia Gieger says she is just hoping for an easier departure from Austin compared to what she experienced getting here from Atlanta.

“The TSA lines were extremely long. I probably waited for like an hour to get through TSA,” said Gieger.

To keep track of wait times at TSA checkpoints, use the MyTSA mobile app. It provides estimated wait times in 15-minute intervals. The app says it sometimes uses historical data if the live data cannot be retrieved. Currently, the TSA says it is not “actively” managing its sites during the partial shutdown, which means the app may not always be updated.