Government Shutdown Causes Massive Airport Delays in Houston

Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport has emerged as the poster child for air travel chaos during the partial government shutdown. Nearly 40% of TSA workers at the airport are calling out due to unpaid work, creating security wait times of up to four hours for frustrated passengers.

HOUSTON (AP) — Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston has emerged as the prime example of how the partial government shutdown is creating chaos throughout America’s aviation system.

Extended security checkpoint delays have plagued airports nationwide, but Bush Intercontinental’s situation has been particularly severe. Passengers at Houston’s primary airport have faced warnings of four-hour waits to clear security checkpoints, as numerous Transportation Security Administration employees are skipping work shifts due to unpaid wages during the shutdown.

“And we’ve been in this airport since 8 o’clock in the morning. Very tired, queuing and queuing and very slow,” said Edgaer Fernando, a traveler headed to Guatemala, speaking on Tuesday.

Airport and union representatives have cited multiple factors explaining why Bush Intercontinental appears to be experiencing worse conditions than other facilities.

The explanations include Houston’s airport recording among the nation’s highest TSA employee absence rates due to financial hardships, increased passenger volume from the airport serving as United Airlines’ major hub, and a particularly busy tourism period for Houston.

Bush Intercontinental and Hobby Airport, Houston’s two primary facilities, have both recorded some of America’s highest employee absence rates.

Though TSA workers nationwide had an 11% no-show rate on Tuesday, Bush Intercontinental saw nearly 40% of staff absent. Hobby Airport’s rate was even worse at 43%. Houston’s absence rates have consistently ranged from 35% to 40%, according to Johnny Jones, secretary and treasurer for Council 100 of the American Federation of Government Employees, representing TSA personnel across the country.

However, Bush Intercontinental handles significantly more traffic than Hobby, processing over 48.4 million travelers in 2024 versus Hobby’s 14.6 million passengers.

According to Jim Szczesniak, aviation director for the Houston Airport System, Bush Intercontinental typically operates 37 TSA checkpoint lanes. Currently, only one-third to half of those lanes are functioning, he explained.

“We worry conditions will only get worse at airports across the U.S. until Congress ends this shutdown,” Szczesniak stated in a Tuesday social media video.

TSA employees were already struggling with financial hardships and debt from the previous year’s shutdown, and with rising grocery and fuel costs, workers “are just tired of it,” Jones explained.

“There could be a million factors, but I can just tell you as simple as this: If everybody’s being paid, you wouldn’t have no lines,” Jones stated.

Houston’s airport ranks among America’s busiest and serves as United Airlines’ primary hub. Of the 48.4 million travelers using the airport in 2024, United Airlines accounted for 34.8 million.

“There’s high call outs, but it’s also the excessive origination point for a lot of flights,” Jones noted.

Given the substantial passenger volume, Houston’s airport may have faced staffing challenges even without the shutdown, since TSA hiring has been frozen nationwide for approximately one year, Jones said.

Beyond spring break visitors, Houston has welcomed numerous major events this month.

These activities include World Baseball Classic games and CERAWeek, a significant energy industry conference attracting over 10,000 global participants. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo attracted 2.6 million visitors, many from outside the metropolitan region, during its three-week run. Additionally, two NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 games are scheduled in Houston this week.

“While the delays are frustrating for travelers, they do not appear to be impacting tourism. In fact, Houston is experiencing the strongest month of March in terms of hotel rooms and reservations in the city’s history,” Mayor John Whitmire said in a statement.

Security wait times at Bush Intercontinental appeared to decrease on Wednesday, with TSA processing taking under two hours.

“Everyone’s trying their best. And thanks to all the TSA members who are here,” said Raj Chauhan, a traveler bound for Miami, on Wednesday.