Airport Security Delays May Continue Despite TSA Workers Getting Pay

TSA officers could receive their first full paychecks in over six weeks starting Monday after President Trump's executive order. However, travel experts warn that lengthy security lines at airports may persist for weeks as workers await back pay and staffing levels recover.

Transportation Security Administration employees may finally receive their first complete paychecks in more than six weeks beginning Monday, following President Donald Trump’s executive order Friday directing the Homeland Security secretary to provide immediate payment.

However, industry analysts and union representatives warn that extensive security checkpoint delays at airports nationwide won’t vanish immediately and may continue through next week or beyond as TSA staff await overdue compensation, facilities evaluate personnel levels, and lawmakers remain deadlocked on Department of Homeland Security funding.

“Until checks are actually in hands, we might still see some of these staffing issues,” said Eric Rosen, director of travel content for The Points Guy, a travel information website. “But (the executive order) is a bit of good news, I think, for both TSA officers as well as the flying public. And hopefully, the money starts flowing quickly and people can get back to work.”

The timing concerns travel industry officials as educational institutions nationwide prepare for spring break periods, while holiday travel increases around Passover and Easter celebrations.

TSA staff members have gone without compensation since February 14, when the Department of Homeland Security funding expired amid congressional disagreements over federal immigration enforcement operations.

During the unprecedented partial government closure, numerous screening officers responsible for passenger and baggage inspections failed to report for scheduled duties. Several thousand absent workers daily created wait times lasting multiple hours and forced closure of expedited lanes at facilities in Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, and other locations.

The president issued his executive directive after House Republicans turned down legislation approved by the Senate Friday morning that would have provided funding for TSA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency while excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.

Caleb Harmon-Marshall, a former TSA employee who publishes a travel newsletter called Gate Access, explained that officers he communicates with urgently need complete back pay because they face mounting bills, growing debt, plus penalty fees and interest costs.

Simultaneously, Harmon-Marshall noted he doesn’t anticipate significant improvement in airport personnel situations until workers feel assured of continued compensation without future income interruptions due to ongoing congressional disagreements.

“Hopefully, with this executive order, the relief does come,” he said. “I think that they just want to know how long, because if it’s only for a pay period, that’s not enough to bring them back. It has to be an extended pay for them to come back or want to stay there.”

Passengers concerned about upcoming flight security processing should expect extended lines for approximately one to two additional weeks, Harmon-Marshall projected.

“This back and forth about all these decisions changing is confusing the TSA officers, so they’re possibly thinking like, ‘OK are we getting paid or are we not?'” he explained.

White House officials indicated that funds for TSA employee compensation would originate from major tax reduction legislation Trump enacted last year, which directed billions in additional resources to Homeland Security. These same funds have maintained ICE officer payments throughout the DHS closure.

Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the TSA worker division of the American Federation of Government Employees union, acknowledged that Monday pay for TSA personnel would provide relief but emphasized that Congress must reach agreement on legislation ending the DHS shutdown.

“I guess the action is good for the president, but on the flip side, we have a lot of people that don’t have anything, and I don’t know if this is gonna fix it,” Jones stated.

Facilities that experienced passengers waiting in screening queues that overwhelmed check-in areas or arriving excessively early for departures must determine whether to reopen checkpoints or fast-track service lanes they shuttered or combined due to insufficient personnel.

Some airports recorded daily TSA officer absence rates reaching 40%. Nationally on Thursday, more than 11.8% of scheduled TSA employees didn’t report for work, representing the highest rate recorded, the department announced Friday.

Nearly 500 workers among the agency’s approximately 50,000 officers have resigned since the shutdown began, according to DHS. TSA Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill informed legislators Wednesday that some employees who missed recent shifts might also depart. Recruitment will likely become more challenging following the personal and public disruptions caused by the shutdown, she indicated.

“Not only is the shutdown decreasing the number of interested candidates, for those we are able to hire, they are required to complete four to six months of training before they are certified to work at checkpoints,” McNeill explained.

Aviation security specialist Sheldon Jacobson, whose research helped develop TSA PreCheck, believes travelers with planned trips shouldn’t worry excessively. The three- and four-hour delays in Atlanta, Houston, and New Orleans represented extreme cases, he noted.

“At a lot of the airports I look at, the delays are pretty typical,” he observed.

Jacobson also pointed out that TSA officer resignations since mid-February don’t significantly exceed the position’s typical turnover rate of approximately 8%.