Security wait times at major US airports have dramatically improved, with Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport reporting queues of under five minutes. This follows weeks of severe delays, where passengers were warned of four-hour lines due to staffing shortages caused by unpaid TSA agents.
The improvement comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents, many of whom had not received wages since mid-February during a partial government shutdown. Up to 11% of agents had called out of work on the worst-affected days.
Return to Normal Operations
Atlanta's airport, the world's busiest with over 100 million passengers last year, has restored its online wait-time feature, which now shows minimal delays. "The normal, quick and efficient checkpoint operations we're known for have returned today," Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport stated in a social media post, advising travellers to once again arrive two hours before departure.
Similar recoveries are reported elsewhere. Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, which also suffered four-hour waits, now shows maximum lines of 30 minutes. New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport reported the longest current wait among monitored airports at 43 minutes.
Ongoing Political Stalemate
While TSA agents began receiving paychecks on Monday, the underlying government shutdown remains unresolved. The Senate approved a deal early Friday to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, but it was opposed by House Republicans seeking more funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Democrats are pushing for ICE reforms.
Congress has now begun a two-week recess, leaving the two parties at a stalemate. The travel reprieve occurs during a peak period for air travel, with many passengers journeying for Spring Break holidays.