This past weekend, Southern California experienced a significant staffing shortage affecting travel, particularly at the Long Beach airport, where over 20% of TSA officers were absent. This marked the highest absence rate in the country.
Federal data indicated that around 21% of the screeners at coastal airports were missing from duty.
Despite this high level of absenteeism, some travelers at Long Beach Airport on Sunday mentioned that things seemed to be running relatively smoothly. Of course, many had prepared for potential delays by arriving early, as reported by ABC7.
The Long Beach Airport is a key hub for airlines in Southern California, especially for domestic flights and budget carriers. While it usually manages a steady passenger flow, it’s somewhat less congested than larger airports like LAX.
A representative from Long Beach Airport shared that operations for flights and inspections hadn’t yet taken a major hit, but they cautioned that conditions might worsen if the situation continued.
This turmoil at Long Beach is part of a larger trend affecting airports nationwide, where over 11% of TSA officers were reported absent on the same day, marking the highest rate since the shutdown began.
Among the airports facing significant delays were John F. Kennedy International in New York, Orlando International in Florida, O’Hare International in Illinois, and George Bush Intercontinental in Houston.
In response to the crisis, the administration deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to support airport security checks, starting that Monday. As of that morning, 14 major hubs received agents, though none were sent to California.
The staffing issues are largely a result of a prolonged partial government shutdown, which has seen TSA employees working without pay for several weeks. Federal officials report that the situation is already taking its toll, with numerous TSA employees opting to leave their roles since funding issues arose.
This partial shutdown began in early 2026 amid contentious debates in Congress regarding funding for the Department of Homeland Security and immigration reform. Following a brief shutdown from late January to early February 2026, discussions about reform triggered a lengthier standstill focused on DHS and immigration matters.
