A major Texas airport has been hit with three-hour delays as the government shutdown leaves airports across the nation severely understaffed.
Massive lines and flight delays have plagued George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston since the government shutdown cut off pay for tens of thousands of TSA agents and air traffic controllers.
In turn, fewer of these essential federal employees have been showing up for work.
Over the last few weeks, fed-up travelers flying out of IAH have expressed outrage over lengthy security lines and delays that caused many to miss their flights.
‘I’ve been here for four hours, my feet hurt, my legs hurt, my back hurts. I’m very tired,’ one disgruntled woman waiting in the jam-packed airport on Monday told CBS.
TSA staffing was so short on Monday that the airport, which sees more than 130,000 fliers each day, only had two security checkpoints open. The average delay time was three hours.
Another traveler, Izu Kagha, missed his Sunday flight because he had to wait five hours in the security line, he told CBS as he got back in the queue for another flight on Monday.
Other frustrated fliers have taken to social media to air their grievances with the Houston airport, sharing clips of unbearably long lines and rants about disastrous flight delays.
Travelers crowded inside the George Bus Intercontinental Airport on Monday as they waited to get through security
On Monday, IAH travelers waited an average of three hours to get through TSA, as only two checkpoints were open
A woman traveling on Monday told CBS she had been waiting for four hours
‘Four and a half hours just to make it through the line to get into the TSA security line,’ one man flying out of IAH wrote on X on Sunday, alongside a jaw-dropping video of antsy passengers hoping to make their flights.
‘Missed our flight. Our bags already got sent to our destination. This is an absolute sh*t show.’
Travel blogger @whynotfrugal shared a similarly shocking post on social media, saying the airport was in ‘total chaos’ on Monday.
‘The lines are wrapping around the terminal, and all due to the government shutdown,’ she said. ‘People arriving three hours early are still missing their flights.’
‘Once you get inside the terminal, the lines get worse,’ she continued as she filmed the crowded airport.
‘If you fly out of Houston, bring lots of patience with you. Unfortunately, not even Clear or TSA [pre-check] can save you.’
A TikTok user with the handle @mikey.bikey6 reacted to the airport disarray with an expletive-laden rant. ‘The Houston airport is f***ed,’ he said.
‘The TSA workers have walked off the job because they’re not getting paid.
‘They can’t afford to pay their rent… so, they’re off doing other things.’
IAH (pictured) is the largest airport in Houston and has roughly 130,000 travelers come through each day
The circumstances at IAH have seemingly improved since Sunday and Monday. According to Qsensor, a platform that provides wait times for airport lines, travelers were only waiting about 10 minutes in security lines as of Tuesday morning.
But officials have warned people not to let their guard down just yet and to continue to be wary that their travel plans could go awry.
On Sunday, Jim Szczesniak, the Director of Aviation for Houston Airports, addressed the mayhem unfolding at IAH and at Houston’s two smaller airports, William P Hobby Airport (HOU) and Ellington Airport (EFD).
‘The federal government shutdown has impacted TSA staffing and operations nationwide, and Houston Airports is doing everything possible to support our TSA partners and keep passengers moving safely and efficiently,’ he wrote.
‘We ask that passengers continue to arrive early and expect extended security wait times until the federal government shutdown is resolved.’
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA agents have been working without pay for weeks.
Before the shutdown, the FAA was already grappling with a perpetual shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers.
On Friday, nearly half of the country’s 30 busiest airports faced severe air traffic controller shortages, resulting in over 6,200 flight delays and 500 cancellations – the worst air travel day since the shutdown began.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has defended the federal workers strained by the government shutdown
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that travelers should brace themselves for more delays and travel dilemmas as workers continue with no pay.
While Duffy said last month that TSA workers and air traffic controllers risked losing their jobs by not going into work during the shutdown, he has since taken a more sympathetic stance.
While speaking with CBS, he said: ‘When they’re making decisions to feed their families, I’m not going to fire air traffic controllers.
‘They need support, they need money, they need a paycheck. They don’t need to be fired.’
Duffy also acknowledged that the shutdown ‘adds more risk’ to the air travel system, although they are ‘always managing that.’
Along with delays, lines and missed flights, these labor shortages have amplified air travel safety concerns.
On Thursday, a Delta jet attempting to land in Boston nearly collided with a Cape Air plane taking off from the intersecting runway.
‘What the heck?’ The Cape Air pilot was heard asking, according to a FlightAware.com transmission.
‘Heavy, that was close,’ the Delta pilot replied, after noting that the plane had returned to an altitude of 3,000 feet.
‘Yeah, man. Not cool,’ the Cape Air pilot responded in disbelief.
The Delta flight ultimately landed safely and no one was harmed. The FAA is investigating.
