Airports Close Terminals as TSA Workers Stay Home During Government Shutdown

27.07.2023 - 18:06 / smartertravel.com

Update: On January 13, Houston’s George Bush International airport closed a terminal due to a worker shortage. The move followed Miami International Airport’s closure of a terminal amid TSA officer call outs. Our original story including tips on how to avoid airport delays during the shutdown continues below.

As the government shut down drags on into January, travelers are rightly concerned about impacts at the airport if federal workers continue to be furloughed. TSA staff continued to work during the first few weeks of the government shutdown, mitigating any potential impact at our nation’s airports. But with no end to the shutdown in sight, and no pay for TSA workers (and other government employees), it’s fair to wonder when your airport could suffer noticeable delays.

The first sign of trouble came from reports of TSA employees calling in sick during the third week of the government shutdown. Hundreds of TSA workers at four major airports called out last week, according to CNN. This includes 170 employees each day at New York’s JFK, and an increase in call-outs of 200 to 300 percent at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

These call-outs require other TSA employees to extend their shifts to fill in the gaps, again without pay. So far, it does not seem like the call-outs have overwhelmed the TSA’s capacity, as wait times remain within the agencies standards. But extending shifts is obviously not ideal in a job where attention to detail is essential.

If call-outs increase, however, travelers may soon encounter prolonged waits at understaffed airports. A TSA union official told CNN that more call-outs are likely as the shutdown continues. “This problem of call outs is really going to explode over the next week or two when employees miss their first paycheck,” the official said. “TSA officers are telling the union they will find another way to make money. That means calling out to work other jobs.”

The official added that while some call-outs are a protest of the paycheck situation, many simply can’t afford to work for free. Some parents, for example, can’t afford child care with no pay coming in.

The trickiest part of this situation for travelers is that it’s evolving and unpredictable. No one knows how long the shutdown will last, and there’s no way to predict where, when, and how severely TSA operations might be affected.

That said, there are a few simple things you can do to minimize disruptions to your travels: