HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Travel troubles continue as TSA confirms Hobby Airport had more than 50% of its officers call out on Saturday, the highest number of call-outs at any airport amid the partial government shutdown.
As vacation travel continues, Houston airports estimate more than 2 million travelers will fly into Hobby Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport this spring break.
Mandy Canfield is traveling to California and said she’s grateful for TSA agents because they have an important job.
“I have seen massive lines. I was actually quite impressed when I showed up (Monday), and the lines were short,” Canfield said. “It’s kind of a tough situation. Everybody deserves to get paid for the work that they do. I wouldn’t want to do the job that they do. I’m thankful for every single one of them that do it, to be honest.”
REALTED: IAH seeing extended wait times, plus ground stop Monday as Spring Break travel ramps up
New data from TSA shows the highest average callout rate of TSA agents among airports nationally during this partial shutdown places JFK Airport at the top of the list, with Houston’s Hobby Airport in third place. This data includes a blizzard day that worsened staffing at JFK.
This past Saturday, however, TSA reported Hobby hit the highest number of callouts nationally during this shutdown, with 55% of officers not showing up to work.
“I wouldn’t want to be the group of people that were working that day; I’m sure there were a lot of grumpy passengers,” Canfield said.
The travel trouble is only expected to grow as the partial government shutdown continues.
In a report from the Associated Press, CEOs of the nation’s top airlines, including JetBlue, Delta, and American Airlines, urged Congress in a letter to fund the Department of Transportation and come to a solution to pay federal aviation workers, including the TSA officers, amid the government shutdown.
ABC News reported that about 60,000 TSA officers working during the shutdown will receive their first zero-dollar paycheck this week.
For updates on this story, follow Daniela Hurtado on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Copyright © 2026 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.