Shutdown sparks flight chaos as TSA lines spill into parking lots with 3-hour waits or longer

Many airports person been grappling with monolithic information lines arsenic outpouring interruption question kicked disconnected implicit the play amid a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) backing lapse.

Houston ‌Hobby Airport successful Houston, Texas, had lines lasting an mean of 3.5 hours astatine 1 constituent Sunday — portion Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport successful Louisiana told passengers to get astatine slightest 3 hours earlier their flights, Reuters reported.

Lauren Bis, DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, told Fox News Digital successful a connection the delays are "severe fallout" from the "Democrat shutdown" of DHS.

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"Today, travelers are facing TSA lines of up to astir 3 hours agelong astatine immoderate large airports, causing missed flights and monolithic delays during highest travel," said Bis.

"These governmental stunts unit patriotic TSA officers, who support our skies from superior threats, to enactment without pay," she said. 

Houston ‌Hobby Airport (pictured) successful Houston, Texas had lines scope an mean of 3.5 hours astatine 1 constituent connected Sunday. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"These frontline heroes received lone partial paychecks earlier this period and present look their archetypal afloat missed paycheck, starring to fiscal hardship, absences and crippling staffing shortages."

A TSA spokesperson told Fox News Digital passengers should get "as aboriginal arsenic possible" to debar missing their flights. 

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"As staffing constraints arise, TSA volition measure connected a case-by-case ground and set operations accordingly," said the spokesperson.

Airport hold times are expected to summation arsenic the shutdown continues — leaving TSA officers successful a troubling spot.

Passengers were seen successful a information enactment successful Houston that stretched from the information checkpoint into the baggage assertion country and a parking garage. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A commercialized relation representing large U.S. airlines said flights were delayed and passengers missed flights owed to agelong information lines, according to Reuters.

"Congress and the medication indispensable ​act with urgency to ⁠reach a woody that reopens DHS and ends this shutdown. America's proscription information workforce is excessively important to beryllium utilized arsenic governmental leverage," said Airlines for America CEO Chris Sununu successful a statement.

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Sununu said TSA officers volition person their archetypal bare paycheck connected Friday, according to Reuters.

TSA authoritative Ha Nguyen McNeill told Congress successful February that astir 1,110 proscription information officers near the bureau successful October and November 2025 amid the 42-day authorities shutdown, Reuters reported.

A TSA spokesperson told Fox News Digital passengers should get "as aboriginal arsenic possible" to debar missing their flights.  (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

With the World Cup little than 100 days away, staffing shortages could go a unit constituent astatine airdrome checkpoints.

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Training a caller TSA serviceman typically takes astir 4 to six months.

Boston-based traveler Eliana Patterson told Reuters that the information lines astatine the New Orleans airdrome wrapped passim the terminal, reaching retired done an exit into a adjacent parking lot.

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"My flight's been delayed, but if it ​hadn't been I'd beryllium a small worried," she said. 

Reuters contributed reporting.