Airports all across the country are on the brink of closure as TSA agents continue to ride a jet stream of resignations and callouts, warned TSA’s acting deputy administrator, Adam Stahl.
“It’s not hyperbole to suggest that we may have to quite literally shut down airports, particularly smaller ones, if call-out rates go up,” Stahl told CNN.
Thousands of TSA workers have been calling out sick every day since the Department of Homeland Security shutdown on Feb. 14, resulting in long lines and thousands of flight delays.
Another 376 have quit their jobs altogether, leaving about 50,000 TSA workers to grapple with the chaos on their own.
Before noon on Saturday, there were already 1,319 reported flight delays in and out of the US, and another 75 cancellations due to the madness, FlightAware data shows.
Security lines have stretched to two hours nationwide, with some, like Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, exceeding a 180-minute wait.
New York’s LaGuardia Airport is seeing long, winding lines form as early as 4:50 a.m., with anxious travelers spilling into the parking lot as they wait.
Disruptions have also been reported in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Orlando, Philadelphia and other airports on both coasts.
And there’s no relief in sight.
A bill to fund the DHS failed to pass in the Senate on Friday, meaning Stahl’s prediction could soon become fact.
“The reality of the situation is this is going to get worse before it gets better, if we don’t see any sort of action,” he said.
About 10% of TSA agents across the nation missed work Thursday, according to the DHS.
That absentee rate was two or three times higher in some places: 33% at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, 29% at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, 27% at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, and 23% at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
About 10% of TSA agents across the nation missed work Thursday, according to the DHS.
The House Committee on Homeland Security has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday to review the partial shutdown’s impact on the TSA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies within DHS.
Lawmakers are scrambling to find an emergency stopgap, but many are not hopeful.
“This is a pox on everybody’s house,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
Please provide a valid email.
By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Never miss a story.