Airport lines surge nationwide amid shutdown, TSA staffing shortages worsen delays

Airport security lines across the country are stretching to extreme lengths this morning.

(NBC)- Airport security lines across the country are stretching to extreme lengths this morning, leaving frustrated travelers facing long and unpredictable waits as the partial government shutdown continues to impact staffing.

From New York to Houston, terminals are packed with passengers waiting on painfully slow security checks — with crowds forming as early as 4:30 a.m.

At Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, the number of security checkpoints has been reduced from nine to just two, with officials warning wait times could exceed four hours.

“This is unbelievable,” said one traveler.

In Atlanta, conditions have been described as chaotic and inconsistent. At 5:15 Tuesday morning, wait times reached an hour and a half — but by early afternoon, lines dropped to just seven minutes, leaving travelers guessing when to arrive.

“I need to go back home!” one frustrated passenger said.

Others say the lack of consistency is making travel even more stressful.

“A little frustrated being sent mixed messages to get here early, but when we do, we can’t do anything for a few more hours,” said Pamela Kelly of Middletown, Connecticut.

The travel headaches come as the political battle over funding for the Department of Homeland Security continues in Washington. A proposed Republican plan to address the shutdown is facing resistance from Democrats, leaving more than 120,000 federal workers now in their sixth week without a full paycheck.

According to the TSA, more than 450 workers have quit, and call-out rates at several major airports are now above 30 percent — worsening staffing shortages.

“The government really has to start working as a government and working for us,” one traveler in Philadelphia said. “They’re stopping everything and they’re hurting us. It’s disgusting.”

To help ease the strain, ICE agents — who are still being paid — have been deployed to 14 airports nationwide to assist with ID checks and crowd control.

Meanwhile, communities are stepping in to support TSA workers, with donation drives popping up across the country. One federal credit union is offering a paycheck relief program, giving TSA officers access to money they are owed.

“Times are tough for them right now, with gas prices going up and everything else — it’s kind of a perfect storm,” said Brandon Paige with Keesler Federal Credit Union.