Airport Security Wait Times Slashed as TSA Workers Receive Paychecks

Many U.S. airports reported significantly reduced security checkpoint wait times on March 30, with much of the worst pressure relieved after Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) officers received their first paychecks in weeks. After seeing security lines that stretched for four hours during peak travel throughout the ongoing government shutdown, wait times at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport were down to 10 minutes or less on Monday. Checkpoints were also moving smoothly at other high-volume airports such as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International and Baltimore-Washington International. More than a month of partial government shutdown had left a wave of uncertainty among both travelers and TSA workers alike. Hundreds of TSA agents had quit while thousands more called out at least once since the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began in mid-February, and many travelers were told to arrive anywhere between three and five hours earlier than usual to their airports to avoid missing a flight....