Airport wait times: The latest as TSA workers start getting paid
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Airport security wait times are returning to normal as TSA workers begin receiving pay after President Trump redirected DHS funds, ending the longer lines caused by the partial government shutdown.
Airports around the country are reporting a return to normalcy as Transportation Security Administration workers begin getting paid.
"We know the last few days have been difficult," Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport posted on X on Monday, March 30. "The normal, quick and efficient checkpoint operations we're known for have returned today."
As of 4 p.m. ET, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, LaGuardia Airport in New York and Philadelphia International Airport all reported standard security waits starting at under 5 minutes, though wait times at other airports were longer.1 / 2
President Donald Trump signeda decree on Friday, March 27, redirecting federal funds already earmarked for the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA workers amid a weeks-long partial government shutdown that's ballooned airport security wait times. However, it's only a temporary fix, and long-term funding still needs approval by lawmakers, who are currently on a previously scheduled recess.
"At the direction of President Trump and the Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, TSA has immediately begun the process of paying its workforce. TSA officers should begin seeing paychecks as early as today," DHS Acting Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Lauren Bis said in a statement to USA TODAY, expressing both TSA and DHS's gratitude for putting money back into the pockets of TSA workers who've been working without pay.
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How many TSA workers called out?
TSA saw its highest call-out rate yet on Friday, March 27: 12.35% of workers, according to DHS.2 / 2 It was still 10.59% or 3,101 officers on Sunday, March 29, before they started receiving pay.
The department shared the following call-out rates for individual airports on Sunday:
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Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) - 38.5%
George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston (IAH) - 36.4.%
William P. Hobby Airport in Houston (HOU) - 34.1%
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) - 34.1%
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) - 33.7%
John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York (JFK) - 29.6%
Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) - 23.4%
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) - 23.0%
LaGuardia Airport in New York (LGA) - 22.9%
How early should I arrive at the airport?
Travelers should refer to their respective airports for guidance on when to arrive.
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