Airports across the country descended into chaos over the weekend, with passengers stuck in hours-long security lines. The delays were caused by increased TSA worker absences after Republicans refused to negotiate on the DHS shutdown, meaning TSA employees are currently working without pay. A fatal crash at LaGuardia on Sunday night has made this week's air travel outlook even worse.
If you don't have to fly, it's probably best to avoid it. However, business travelers and those dealing with emergencies may have no choice. The good news is that not every airport looks like a disaster scene - some are backed up while others are running normally.
Zach Griff at From The Tray Table built a tool that tracks TSA wait times at airports nationwide, helping travelers figure out how much extra time to build into their schedules.
The tool has limitations - it can only provide information that's available. At the time of writing, wait times for Atlanta, Newark, and LaGuardia were listed as "paused," while Salt Lake City showed "unknown." However, most airports are still reporting wait times and the number of open security checkpoints.
Houston's IAH currently has the longest wait at 250 minutes (over four hours) with only two of nine checkpoints open. In contrast, Houston's HOU has both checkpoints open with less than a 10-minute wait.
Eleven airports are reporting wait times of 15 minutes or less, including major hubs like MIA, PHX, DFW, HOU, DCA, BWI, MSP, DTW, CLT, LAX, and DEN. However, conditions can change rapidly - airports with long waits today could have short waits tomorrow.
The dramatic differences in wait times between airports in the same city highlight why specific airport codes matter. Someone flying from HOU shouldn't cancel their flight due to problems at IAH.
If you must travel, keep monitoring From The Tray Table's TSA wait time tracker, assuming your airport continues reporting wait times.
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A new online tool tracks real-time TSA wait times nationwide to help travelers plan ahead.
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Airport delays from unpaid TSA workers during government shutdowns directly impact millions of travelers.
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Houston's two airports show the biggest contrast: IAH has 4+ hour waits while HOU has under 10 minutes.