Air travelers wait in line as they progress to the TSA security checkpoint in Terminal A at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
Michael Wyke/Associated Press
As massive TSA lines continue this week at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, travelers with plans to fly out of Houston are looking for ways to make the wait easier or guarantee they’ll make their flights.
Bush Airport opened only two TSA checkpoints again Wednesday as the Transportation Security Administration continued to face staffing shortages during the partial government shutdown.
Here’s what people at the airport and social media users had to say about the tips and “hacks” they’re trying to ease their stress.
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Go to the terminal with the shortest wait
Houston Airport System officials and travelers advise checking to see which TSA checkpoint has the shortest wait and go there, noting that travelers can go back to the correct terminal for their flight once inside.
James Pearson, a Houston native headed to Las Vegas, had been in line for 1 hour and 50 minutes early Wednesday. He said he had a running timer to track his wait and passed the time by joking with friends and nearby passengers.
“Just try to get here early and expect it to take a while,” Pearson said. “We did have a guy saying Terminal A was a lot shorter. I think he was right, but we didn’t want to get out of line.”
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Get to IAH the night before for early flights
Some travelers said on Reddit and TikTok that they’d arrived the day or night before their flight to ensure they’d get through security on time, especially if they had a morning flight.
A couple who missed their flight and got stuck for more than 30 hours in the Houston airport waiting for another one shared video of people sleeping on cots set up inside.
Anything to stay in line
Reddit user @anonymousemouse206 shared that, in order to make a flight, they skipped water for hours so they wouldn’t need a bathroom break.
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“It took 2 hours and 20 minutes to get through the line. The majority of people around me were also getting antsy as their flights were boarding soon,” the user wrote. “Couldn’t drink water so I wouldn’t have to get out of line to go to the bathroom.”
Hunger can also become an issue. TikTok user @keena.s showed video of Uber Eats ordered to an airport line in New Orleans.
“A special shoutout is extended to the dedicated Uber Eats driver who made the delivery and to Firehouse Subs for providing the meal,” the poster said.
Carol Busbee, who got to IAH on Wednesday at 8 a.m. for a noon flight to Utah, said people had been kind during the long wait, handing out water and candy to passengers and children.
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Switch to Houston’s other airport, potentially at higher cost
Reddit user @girlwithfur posted that they changed to a different flight in order to fly out of Hobby Airport and avoid the long wait times.
“Just went through security at Hobby. No wait absolutely worth the cost to switch airports for departure,” the user wrote.
Another Reddit user said they bought two flights, one out of IAH and one out of Hobby, to be safe and compare which airport had the shorter line.
How much would you pay to skip the line?
As TSA wait times fueled frustration at IAH, X user Tiffani Lupenski said in a post that she saw a man pay someone to skip the line.
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“I watched a guy pay $400 cash to take someone’s place in line,” Lupenski said in the post.
Chronicle reporters haven’t seen anyone actually paying to move ahead. But traveler Alexander Maddox, who was headed to Madrid, said from the TSA line Wednesday that he would be willing to pay as much as $500 to skip the wait.
Karen Kitogo told the Chronicle Wednesday she’d spend $100 for a better spot. She noted she’d already paid for PreCheck, which costs between $75 and $85 and wasn’t open Tuesday or Wednesday at Bush Airport. “This is outrageous,” she said. “This line is barely, barely moving.”
Busbee said she was not surprised by the long lines because she had prepared for them. Busbee, who described herself as a patient person, said she would not pay to skip the line if given the choice.
“I’m a patient person. I’m fine. I’ve got to save my money,” Busbee said. “It’s going to be fine.”
For security purposes, airport officials said in a news release that passengers should stay with their belongings while waiting and should not pay people offering to hold their place in line, as they are “not authorized and have not been vetted.”
“Passengers who choose to use unauthorized services do so at their own risk,” the news release reads.