Extreme delays persisted Tuesday at airports across the country, even after federal immigration agents were deployed to help move passengers through security lines.
Wait times were estimated as high as 240 minutes, or four hours, at Houston’s’ Bush Intercontinental Airport and 44 minutes at JFK Airport in New York.
The nation’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, experienced lines so long and crowds so large that it stopped updating its security wait-time tracking page. LaGuardia in New York and Newark International also stopped reporting wait times.
The air travel crisis is the result of a congressional standoff over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA is asking officers to work without pay, and scores are calling out sick or even quitting their jobs.
Almost 11% of TSA officers, or more than 3,200, called out on Monday, NBC News reported. More than one-third of officers did not report to work Monday at five airports: Atlanta, New Orleans, JFK and Hobby and Bush Intercontinental, both in Houston.
Senate Republicans said Tuesday they were working on a proposal that would end the partial government shutdown and, in theory, alleviate the air travel delays. But President Donald Trump reacted coolly toward the proposal, while saying DHS is “currently shut down by radical-left Democrat thugs.”
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Airline frustrated by funding stalemate
With the funding stalemate in its sixth week, one major airline is showing its frustration with lawmakers.
Delta, based in Atlanta, announced Tuesday it had suspended special services for members of Congress traveling on the airline. Those include airport escorts and access to “red coat” services, through which lawmakers could normally resolve ticketing problems or make sure they made connecting flights. A Delta spokesperson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that members of Congress and their staffs would be treated like any other passenger.
“Due to the impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta,” the airline said in a statement. “Next to safety, Delta’s No. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment.”
The Journal-Constitution reported that Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, has accused lawmakers of using TSA officers as “political pawns” in budget negotiations.
“It’s inexcusable that our security agents, frontline workers central to what we do, are not being paid,” Bastian said. “We’re outraged. Let’s get our people who are essential to our security paid quickly.”
Historic delays
Travelers are experiencing the longest delays ever recorded outside major storms or security events. The presence of ICE agents in 14 major airports seems to have made little difference so far.
In Atlanta, the airport’s security wait-time tracking page advises, “Due to current federal conditions, passengers are advised to allow at least 4 hours or more for domestic and international screenings.”
“We simply do not have a system that’s designed to track passenger movements outside of the security checkpoint,” the airport’s general manager, Ricky Smith, told CNN.
Smith noted at one point that lines extended past checkpoints, into baggage claim and, in some cases, out onto the curbside.
However, he said the airport saw a bit of a reprieve on Tuesday.
“Right now, we’re experiencing more calm than we’ve seen in a very long time,” he told CNN.
LaGuardia Airport in New York is taking the same approach. While its wait-time page is still active, no times are listed, and the page notes that wait times are longer than normal. The situation there has been worsened by an investigation into a collision late Sunday between an Air Canada jet and a fire truck crossing a runway. Two people died in the crash.
“Wait time reporting has been temporarily suspended,” LaGuardia’s page reads. “Please allow for significantly more time and check with your airline for the current status of your flight.”
While not as severe, Salt Lake City and Denver are still dealing with longer-than-normal delays, at 20 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, other major hubs aren’t seeing delays at all. LAX in Los Angeles is reporting quick security lines, as are Chicago O’Hare and Dallas/Fort Worth.
