With the federal government shutdown lasting more than a month and no end in sight, airports across Texas are starting to feel the strain.
Video of hours-long security lines at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport over the weekend went viral.
At North Texas airports, some TSA workers say they’re concerned wait times could rise quickly if the situation doesn’t change.
At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal D on Monday evening, travelers were backed up as far as the eye could see. Multiple security checkpoints showed wait times of more than 20 minutes.
“I’ve seen it a couple of times where it’s gotten near 45 minutes or so to an hour,” said Johnny Jones, president of AFGE Local 1040.
The union representing DFW’s TSA workers said long lines are becoming more likely as the shutdown drags on. TSA employees have gone unpaid for more than 30 days, and union leaders say many workers are struggling to cover basic expenses.
“There’s a lot of people that are just straight up out of money, don’t have anything, no food, they don’t have any rent money,” Jones said. “Some of them can’t come to work because they don’t have any money.”
At Dallas Love Field Airport, the FAA reported flight delays averaging 72 minutes on Monday due to staffing shortages. Travelers there also experienced long security lines.
“They had less counters open than the last time I flew for the TSA,” said Miguel Silva. “And it seemed like they had more people coming through.”
Airports across Texas have made national headlines for the long wait times. Officials at George Bush Intercontinental in Houston warned that TSA security waits could exceed three hours on Monday due to staffing issues.
While DFW hasn’t seen lines that long, some TSA employees said the situation could worsen if the shutdown continues and workers miss another paycheck this week.
“I just don’t see how many people can survive after this without taking serious loans out or somebody providing assistance,” Jones said.
Several travelers told NBC 5 that anyone flying out of North Texas airports right now needs to plan ahead.
“They better have made proper plans,” said Stuart Greenbaum. “You may miss your flight.”
NBC 5 reached out to DFW Airport to ask how current wait times compare to pre-shutdown levels and to address TSA staffing concerns.
“At DFW, we have not seen substantially increased checkpoint wait times or flight delays related to staffing,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “However, passengers should continue to check their flight status with their airline and use the DFW mobile app or website to monitor TSA wait times in case that changes.”
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