Return to Normal Operations
Major U.S. airports are returning to normal operations as Transportation Security Administration workers begin receiving back pay, potentially easing security delays for travelers. The Department of Homeland Security said TSA officers should begin receiving pay as early as Monday, March 30.
Lingering Delays
Despite the expected return to normal, some airports were still advising travelers to arrive hours early on Sunday. Baltimore-Washington International Airport said checkpoint wait times had improved from Saturday but "remain longer than normal." LaGuardia Airport also posted an advisory on its website that "security wait times are significantly longer than normal and can change quickly."
Impact of the Shutdown
The TSA has been affected by a partial government shutdown that reached 44 days on Sunday, eclipsing the record 43-day shutdown last fall. The shutdown led to increased TSA call-out rates, with more than 10%, or nearly 2,900 TSA workers, failing to show up to work on Saturday. More than 500 agents have quit as a result of the funding impasse.
The CBS News article reports that TSA call-out rates on Thursday hit nearly 12%—the highest level since the partial government shutdown began—before easing slightly over the weekend.
ICE Assistance
White House border czar Tom Homan said ICE agents deployed to help TSA officers maintain security would remain in place until the airports return to "normal operations." Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in a post on X that more ICE agents were being deployed to BWI to assist at TSA security checkpoints to "speed up the clearance process for passengers — not immigration enforcement."
Expert Opinions
Clint Henderson, a travel expert at The Points Guy, said that after the last shutdown, worker sickouts dropped dramatically as soon as money hit their accounts. Henderson noted that it took between two days and two weeks after they received their paychecks for security screening line wait times to return to normal. Caleb Harmon-Marshall, a former TSA officer, estimated longer lines could linger for another week or two.
Union Concerns
Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees' TSA chapter, said he has heard from workers worried they may not receive their full back pay because TSA management was given very short notice to begin processing payments. Jones also said TSA agents are concerned they could miss pay for time they were unable to work because they couldn't afford to report for duty.
Future Staffing
Airports will need to decide whether to reopen checkpoints or expedite service lanes they closed due to inadequate TSA staffing. Charlotte Douglas International Airport said in a post on X that backpay could arrive for its 600 local TSA workers beginning Monday.
The sources also report that TSA call-out rates hit nearly 12% on Thursday, the highest since the shutdown began.