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Hours-Long TSA Lines Hit U.S. Airports As DHS Funding Lapse Collides With Spring Break

Unpaid TSA officers are calling out during a funding standoff over immigration enforcement, driving three-hour waits in Houston and New Orleans and forcing airports to warn travelers to arrive much earlier.

Overview

  • Houston’s William P. Hobby reported waits around 165 minutes Sunday, warned they could top three hours, and urged arrivals four to five hours before flights, while New Orleans lines stretched into parking garages with a three-hour arrival advisory.
  • TSA PreCheck lanes were intermittently closed at some checkpoints, and Global Entry remains suspended during the partial shutdown.
  • Other airports, including Atlanta, Charlotte, and Houston’s Bush Intercontinental, also logged elevated wait times that varied by day and shift.
  • DHS said TSA staff received partial pay earlier and now face their first full missed paycheck, a strain contributing to absences and staffing shortages.
  • Airlines for America and airport officials pressed Congress and the administration to restore DHS funding as a House-passed bill awaits Senate action and airports caution delays could persist through the week.