Long lines to get through security almost kept a WRAL reporter in Atlanta. 

WRAL reporter Willie Daniely was able to give us a first-hand look at how bad some Transportation Security Administration lines have gotten at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday morning. 

Daniely was traveling back to Raleigh, but found himself in a long line that stretched outside of the building. He arrived at the airport three hours before his flight was scheduled to board but still struggled to make it to the gate on time. 

“This
is my home airport,” Daniely said. “I’ve flown out of here my entire life, and I’ve never seen
anything like what I’ve seen this morning.”

Daniely said the TSA lines start outside the airport, and the wait was long even for travelers with TSA PreCheck.

Daniely spent two-and-a-half hours waiting in line to make it through security. He finally got through security at 7:45 a.m. and arrived to his gate just 10 minutes before boarding. 

“There was also a lot of confusion,” Daniely said. “Since there are so many different lines, people aren’t sure which line they’re getting in … I’ve spoken people who got to the airport four hours before their flight was scheduled, which is when the airport is suggesting, and they still have anxiety.”

Daniely touched down at Raleigh-Durham International Airport just before 10 a.m. 

Daniely recommends flying at off-peak travel times to avoid long waits.

“If you can push back and get a midday flight or an afternoon flight, we’re
hearing that the airport’s nowhere near as busy,” Daniely said. “If you can afford to push back your travel, hold off, catch a later flight in
the day, hopefully this will be a lot more easy.”

The local president of the union representing TSA agents at Raleigh-Durham International Airport said eight agents have quit at RDU since the
partial shutdown started. More than 450 TSA agents have quit nationwide in that
time.

It’s contributing to longer wait times for flyers.

While RDU isn’t seeing those long wait times, flyers are
seeing them at other airports across the country. Long TSA lines have been a major issue throughout the country due to a funding standoff on Capitol Hill.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has been seeing some of the country’s longest security lines.

Experts say it’s hard to predict where the lines will be the longest at any given time because much of the problem stems from TSA personnel not showing up for their shifts. The roughly 50,000 federal workers who screen passengers and bags have been working without pay while lawmakers fail to agree on funding the Department of Homeland Security.

President Donald Trump announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents would be helping airport security starting Monday. 

Daniely said he saw ICE agents at the airport on Tuesday morning. 

“I
haven’t seen them doing much,” he said. “Some of them are sitting behind the TSA
agents as they’re checking people through the security area. I’ve seen some sitting at stools around some of the restaurants, but there is a bit of
confusion as to what exactly they’re supposed to be doing, because it doesn’t
appear to be much.”