Overview
- Many airports reported sharp drops in waits after Monday's backpay deposits reached TSA workers, with Atlanta falling from four hours to minutes and BWI saying operations returned to normal.
- Recovery is uneven, with LaGuardia posting waits of up to two hours on Wednesday and Houston cautioning that standard lanes could still run longer than usual despite early-morning improvements.
- Some officers received only partial or incorrect backpay, with missing overtime or shift differentials, and union leaders say many workers do not feel made whole.
- DHS says more than 500 TSA officers have quit and callouts remain elevated in several cities, and ICE personnel are still assisting at checkpoints with ID checks, logistics and crowd control.
- The partial DHS shutdown that began February 14 remains in place as Congress recesses, leaving future pay and services such as MyTSA, PreCheck and Clear uncertain or limited at some airports.