Several airports in the U.S. are experiencing significant disruptions as TSA workers on the front lines remain unpaid.
Footage from Philadelphia International Airport, filmed early Thursday morning, shows numerous passengers lined up for elevators and escalators as they wait to pass through security.
Starting Wednesday, the airport announced a temporary closure of three security checkpoints “to optimize operations across other checkpoints.”
Philadelphia International Airport has six major checkpoints, but currently, only three are in operation.
An airport representative informed Fox News Digital that staff were present to assist passengers.
“The longest wait time reached 44 minutes at the D/E checkpoint, which opens first at 3 a.m.,” the representative stated.
Current TSA wait times can be found on the Philadelphia International Airport website.
By 9 a.m., the longest wait was recorded at 20 minutes at the Terminal B checkpoint, which the spokesperson described as “not unusual for this time of day.”
The closure of the three checkpoints was attributed to staffing issues stemming from the ongoing partial government shutdown, according to the spokesperson.
At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, wait times extended to 90 minutes, prompting the airport to advise travelers to arrive three hours early.
“TSA projections indicate that ATL is expected to handle nearly 350,000 travelers from Thursday, March 19, to Sunday, March 22,” the airport posted.
TSA Acting Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl expressed concerns to Fox News Digital this week about the potential for losing more employees if the shutdown continues.
“If this situation persists, executives will remain unpaid for weeks, and the rate of callouts will rise,” Stahl noted.
He further stated, “Some individuals might not be able to afford to keep working, leading to resignations.”
Thus far, 366 TSA employees have resigned due to the shutdown, with a national turnover rate of 10.19% reported on Sunday by a TSA spokesperson.
The decision to close certain airport and security lines has been made based on staffing levels. Federal security officers at the airports are well-versed in the specific configurations and travel patterns of their respective locations.
