Topline
Multiple airports around the U.S. were overwhelmed with extensive security wait times Monday, continuing to feel the pressure from a Transportation Security Administration staffing shortage that began receiving crowd control support from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, which appeared to do little to quell the growing problem.
Travelers are seen standing in long lines outside of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty ImagesKey Facts
Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport is experiencing wait times of 150 minutes and 200 minutes at its two open terminals, according to Houston Airport System data.
Passengers at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, who faced three-hour wait times Sunday that sent queues into a parking structure, were warned of high wait times again Monday, with officials telling WDSU-TV for passengers to arrive at least three hours ahead of their scheduled departure time.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which experienced wait times in excess of an hour on Friday, removed wait time data from its website Monday, advising passengers to allow four hours or more for security screenings.
John F. Kennedy International Airport also suspended wait time reporting Monday, saying wait times are subject to change rapidly and “may be significantly longer than normal.”
Security wait times at gates one through 59 at Orlando International Airport reached over 40 minutes shortly after 12:30 p.m. EST.
Security wait times were not available on Newark Liberty Airport’s website hours after a brief ground stop was ordered in response to a burning smell coming from the elevator of an air traffic control tower, which was evacuated.
Newark Liberty recorded 119 departure delays and 104 arrival delays as of Monday afternoon, according to FlightAware data.
Tangent
New York’s LaGuardia Airport was completely shut down Sunday night and Monday morning after a collision between an Air Canada Express aircraft and a firefighting vehicle killed two people and injured others. Audio from the air traffic control tower at the airport suggested a controller may have been distracted at the time of the crash.
Big Number
More than 400. That is how many TSA agents have resigned since the partial government shutdown that left them without pay began, according to multiple reports.
Key Background
Callouts have become increasingly common from TSA agents who continue working without pay amid the shutdown. Call out rates surged to 11.7% on Sunday, the highest rate of the shutdown, with 3,450 agents absent from work, DHS official Lauren Bis told CNN, which reported the highest call out rates came from Baltimore/Washington International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Pittsburgh International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. A TSA agent told Forbes last week that officers were “at their breaking point” after missing paychecks the weekend prior. ICE agents were deployed to over a dozen airports Monday for crowd control at security checkpoints, with border czar Tom Homan saying Sunday he was not sure if the agents would help with “specialized” TSA duties like X-ray screenings.
Further Reading
NYC Airport Chaos: Over 100 Flights Delayed After Fatal Crash At LaGuardia, Newark Stoppage (Forbes)