Airport Security Wait Times Reach 3 Hours as Government Shutdown Continues

Travelers faced security checkpoint delays of up to three and a half hours at major U.S. airports on Sunday as TSA worker absences increased during the partial government shutdown. The timing coincides with spring break travel season, creating a perfect storm of long lines and missed flights.

Air travelers encountered extraordinary delays at airport security checkpoints across the nation on Sunday, with some wait times stretching beyond three hours as Transportation Security Administration staffing shortages worsened during the ongoing partial government shutdown.

The most severe delays occurred at Houston Hobby Airport, where passengers endured security line waits averaging 3.5 hours at peak times, with delays still reaching three hours by 4 p.m. Eastern time.

Officials at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport issued an advisory stating: “TSA is experiencing a shortage of workers at the security checkpoint, which is causing longer-than-average lines. Passengers with travel scheduled today are advised to arrive at least 3 hours before their scheduled departure.”

The Transportation Security Administration confirmed that extended wait times also plagued George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The crisis stems from the February 13 lapse in Homeland Security Department funding after lawmakers failed to broker an agreement on immigration enforcement changes sought by Democrats. This funding gap has left approximately 50,000 TSA security screening personnel working without compensation.

The Department of Homeland Security reported on Sunday: “Travelers are facing TSA lines of up to nearly 3 hours long at some major airports, causing missed flights and massive delays during peak travel.” The department, operating under the Republican Trump administration, placed blame on Congressional Democrats for blocking efforts to restore departmental funding.

Transportation security workers “now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages,” according to DHS officials.

Industry representatives from major airlines and travel organizations warned last week that the shutdown could severely impact spring vacation travel plans.

Airlines are anticipating unprecedented spring travel volume, with projections showing 171 million passengers taking flights during the season – a 4% increase compared to the same timeframe last year, according to Chris Sununu, chief executive of the trade group Airlines for America.

“The fear is that, once again, they’re not going to act until something really desperate happens, until we get long lines,” Sununu commented on Thursday.

The spring travel surge will intensify just as TSA employees receive their first zero-dollar paycheck on March 13, Sununu noted.

Ha Nguyen McNeill, the Transportation Security Administration’s senior administrator, informed Congress last month that approximately 1,110 transportation security officers departed the agency during October and November 2025 following a 43-day government shutdown – representing more than a 25% spike from the corresponding period in 2024.