Airport security lines are long. Here's what to know if you're flying

## Summary
Here's what to know if you're flying March 21, 2026 5:40 PM ET Shannon Bond Travelers wait in line at a TSA security checkpoint at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, on March 20, 2026. National TSA workers miss a full paycheck, while travelers keep paying airport security fees TSA staffers are considered essential workers, so about 50,000 have been working without pay due to the shutdown that started Feb. 14. In the U.K., Foreign Office officials are also warning travelers of "travel disruption" caused by "longer than usual queues at some U.S. airports," and recommended passengers check with their travel provider, airport, or airline for guidance. That should be the first place you check to get a sense of how long lines might be, Henderson says. (TSA also estimates wait times on its website and app, but that's not being regularly updated because of the shutdown, he added.) "Knowledge is power," Henderson said. "You should know what's going on at your local airport." He noted there are 20 U.S. airports where security screening is done by private contractors , not the TSA — and they are not experiencing staffing shortages or long waits.

## Article Content
National
Airport security lines are long. Here's what to know if you're flying
March 21, 2026
5:40 PM ET
Shannon Bond
Travelers wait in line at a TSA security checkpoint at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, on March 20, 2026.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
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Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
It's spring break season in the U.S. — and travelers are facing long airport lines as security screeners work without pay while the Department of Homeland security is shut down.
Congressional Democrats have declined to fund the agency in an attempt to force reforms of federal immigration enforcement practices.
Wait times at major hubs in
Houston
and
Atlanta
reached
two hours
on Friday, while New Orleans's Louis Armstrong International Airport
advised
passengers to arrive at least three hours before their scheduled departures. In Philadelphia, airport officials
closed three security checkpoints
entirely this week because of short staffing.
On Saturday, President Trump
threatened to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents
to staff airport security lanes if Democrats don't "immediately" agree to fund DHS. A bipartisan group of senators has been negotiating with the White House over immigration enforcement and ending the
shutdown
.
"I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before, including the immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants who have come into our Country," Trump posted on Truth Social. In a follow-up
post
he said he told ICE to "GET READY" to deploy to airports on Monday.
Why are wait times so long?
Officials say wait times are unpredictable and can fluctuate sharply as airports struggle with Transportation Security Administration staffing shortages.
National
TSA workers miss a full paycheck, while travelers keep paying airport security fees
TSA staffers
are considered essential workers, so about 50,000 have been working without pay due to the shutdown that started Feb. 14. Last week, they missed their first full
paychecks
. The
Department of Homeland Security
says more than 300 TSA officers have quit. More than half of TSA staff in Houston called out sick and nearly a third called out in Atlanta and New Orleans last week, DHS said.
The staffing shortage comes as travel has also been disrupted by
severe weather
, and as schools across the country close for spring break.
Some 2.8 million people were projected to travel on U.S. airlines each day in March and April, adding up to a record 171 million passengers, according to the industry group
Airlines for America
.
What do officials say?
Transportation officials are warning the situation could get worse if the shutdown isn't resolved. A second missed paycheck would put even more strain on TSA workers,
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told CNN
on Friday.
Politics
5 things to know about the shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security
"If a deal isn't cut, you're going to see what's happening today look like child's play," Duffy said. "Is it still safe as you go through the airport? Yes, but it takes a lot longer because we have less agents working." He added that some smaller airports may be forced to temporarily close if more staff calls out.
In the U.K., Foreign Office officials are also
warning travelers
of "travel disruption" caused by "longer than usual queues at some U.S. airports," and recommended passengers check with their travel provider, airport, or airline for guidance.
On Saturday, billionaire Elon Musk weighed in with an offer to personally pay TSA staff.
"I would like to offer to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country," Musk
posted
on X early Saturday morning.
U.S. law
generally bars government employees from receiving outside compensation for their work.
Even with disruptions, travel demand is still high
On top of long security wait times and weather impacts, travel is being affected by the
war in Iran
, which is driving up global oil prices.
National
Travel industry pushes Congress to end DHS shutdown and pay federal security workers
On Friday,
United Airlines said it would cut some flights
over the next six months after jet fuel prices doubled in recent weeks. Capacity cuts are likely to send airfares even higher, even as ticket prices are already rising, said Clint Henderson, a spokesperson for the travel website The Points Guy.
Still, he said, none of that seems to be deterring Americans from flying.
"The appetite for travel is insatiable," he said. "People seem willing to endure a lot of stuff to travel. And I don't see any signs of that decreasing."
How can travelers prepare?
Travel experts say it's not just long wait times that travelers should prepare for — it's the uncertainty.
"Every day this goes on, it's getting worse and worse and worse," Henderson said.
Here are some ti

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- Some are smaller regional airports, but the list also includes some larger hubs, including San Francisco International Airport and Kansas City International Airport. "There's big, big, big metropolitan areas where it's not an issue at all," Henderson said. 2.

### Implications
- A bipartisan group of senators has been negotiating with the White House over immigration enforcement and ending the shutdown . "I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before, including the immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants who have come into our Country," Trump posted on Truth Social.
- Transportation officials are warning the situation could get worse if the shutdown isn't resolved.
- Yes, but it takes a lot longer because we have less agents working." He added that some smaller airports may be forced to temporarily close if more staff calls out.
- Travel experts say it's not just long wait times that travelers should prepare for — it's the uncertainty. "Every day this goes on, it's getting worse and worse and worse," Henderson said.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers airport, security, travel topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1437.