TSA Wait Line’s at New York’s LGA and More Have Travelers Fuming. Is It Really That Bad at Airports?
Waiting a while at airports has, unfortunately, become a fact of life. Most people expect to have to wait in some sort of line while getting ready to board their flight… but the recent conditions at New York’s LaGuardia airport and others around the country have been something else entirely.
In recent days, as the result of a staffing shortage due to the partial federal government shutdown, those flying out of the iconic airport have been enduring hours-long lines to even get through security. On top of that, LaGuardia was closed for several hours on Monday morning, after a deadly collision between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck on Sunday night.
Before the crash and the airport closure, lines were already particularly bad on Sunday. A post from X user @SimplyTwiggy showed that the pre-check line for LaGuardia’s Terminal B had snaked its way into the nearby parking garage.
A few hours later, another series of tweets from user @north0fnorth revealed that the Terminal B line for TSA had now “spilled outside the airport.” In addition to a photo showing exactly that, one of their follow-up tweets revealed that they had spent over three hours waiting in line. They revealed that they “missed my original flight and had to rebook, upon which i was told i grabbed the very last available seat,” their post reads. “it’s a mess out here.”
The staffing shortages have been due to the partial shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which technically houses TSA. While some TSA agents are continuing to work without pay, a number have refused to show up for work amid the shutdown, with Business Insider reporting that over 400 agents have quit since the middle of February.
“Due to the federal funding lapse, security wait times may be significantly longer than normal,” a travel advisory warned attendees on Monday. “Wait times are subject to rapid change based on passenger volumes and TSA staffing. For these reasons, wait time reporting has been temporarily suspended. Please allow for significantly more time and check with your airline for the current status of your flight.”
It Gets Worse…
In an attempt to curb the issue, ICE agents have been deployed at LaGuardia and other major airports… which has opened a whole other can of worms for those just trying to make their way on their flight.
“Every time Donald Trump gets involved, he creates chaos for the American people,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement. “This latest proposal is no different. Trump’s ICE has a track record of making communities less safe, and sending untrained ICE agents to staff our airports is not an acceptable solution. Instead, it’s time for Donald Trump and Washington Republicans to do their jobs and fund TSA.”
The collision on Sunday night, between Air Canada Express 8646 and a Port Authority fire truck, led to the pilot and co-pilot being killed. According to initial reports (via CNN), dozens of others, including 41 different passengers and crew, were taken to local hospitals, with 32 of them having been released on Monday. Nearly 600 flights were cancelled as a result, with some also being rerouted to the city’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, and the airport being closed until around 2 p.m. ET.
LaGuardia is far from the only airport that has recently experienced massive delays, as well as additional problems that exacerbate them. The nearby Newark Airport had to issue a brief ground stop on Monday morning, after the airport’s air traffic control tower was evacuated around 7:30 a.m. due to a burning smell. This stoppage only lasted for an hour.
Additionally, hours-long security lines have also popped up at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The latter airport tweeted on Monday that “travelers are encouraged to arrive at least 4 hours early.”
(featured image: Kuster & Wildhaber Photography)
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