Long TSA lines reported at Atlanta airport amid federal shutdown

Security wait times at Atlanta’s airport approached two hours as TSA staffing shortages developed during the federal shutdown.

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN)- Long security lines were reported at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Sunday and Monday as staffing shortages affected screening checkpoints.

Video from the airport showed travelers waiting in extended lines to pass through security.

According to the Transportation Security Administration, wait times at the airport’s main checkpoint were approaching two hours Monday morning.

The lines come as hundreds of TSA workers have left their jobs during the ongoing partial federal government shutdown affecting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Officials say more than 300 TSA employees have quit since the shutdown began last month, after missing their first full paycheck. Others have taken unscheduled leave.

The staffing shortages have raised concerns about longer wait times at airports across the country.

On Sunday, the chief executives of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways signed a letter urging Congress to end the shutdown.

The shutdown began after lawmakers reached an impasse over federal immigration reform.

Under federal law, government employees who were required to work during the shutdown must receive back pay once the shutdown ends.