March 27, 2026 • 6 min read
The end may be near for the major airport security delays plaguing U.S. airports.
Despite an ongoing partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown, Transportation Security Administration officers appeared set to receive pay for the first time in weeks after President Donald Trump directed newly installed DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin “to immediately pay” TSA officers, calling the situation an “emergency” at airports.
The key question: will a paycheck, reportedly arriving Friday, quickly end the mass call-outs that have produced three- and four-hour security lines at some of the nation’s busiest hubs? TSA officers have been working without pay since Feb. 14 amid the shutdown. Lawmakers had not yet agreed to a funding deal as of Thursday night and were preparing to leave for a two-week recess, prompting the administration to use executive action to provide pay.
Trade and industry groups reacted cautiously. The nonpartisan U.S. Travel Association applauded the move but called it a “stopgap measure.” A lobbying group for major U.S. airlines said paying officers would “help restore order” at airports.
TSA delays continue to mount
Terminals have been chaotic as the shutdown has dragged on. The TSA’s leader said flyers are experiencing the longest average wait times in the agency’s nearly 25-year history. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) have been among the hardest hit, with travelers facing four-hour backups on the worst days. Some hubs have closed checkpoints, and expedited services like Clear and TSA PreCheck have been suspended at certain terminals. TSA officials warned smaller airports could face suspended service if staffing worsens.
Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told Congress the situation is “fluid, challenging and unpredictable,” adding the agency has been forced to consolidate lanes and may have to close smaller airports without enough officers.
Will TSA lines return to normal?
Even if pay is restored quickly, it’s uncertain how fast checkpoint operations will recover. One precedent offers hope: after a 43-day federal shutdown last fall, call-outs among air traffic controllers dropped immediately and flight operations improved rapidly once pay resumed. Whether TSA officers will respond the same way is unknown.
Complicating recovery is that TSA staff have endured two shutdown stretches of more than 40 days since October, each leaving officers unpaid. That could mean it takes longer for staffing and operations to normalize. Travelers should still prepare for longer-than-normal lines, especially on peak days such as Friday and Sunday.
Airlines issue travel waivers
Airlines have been responding with flexible policies. Delta had travel waivers in place for customers at ATL and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). United issued similar waivers for its Houston hub. Budget carrier Allegiant granted significant flexibility for changes and cancellations during the shutdown.
TSA app and practical advice
The TSA app, which normally shows live checkpoint wait times, has been unreliable during the shutdown because it hasn’t been updated regularly. Although officers were set to be paid, the agency itself remained technically shut down, so app updates and agency communications may still lag. Travelers should check airport websites and social media for local updates and any airport-specific wait tracking.
Bottom line
Longer-term challenges remain beyond the immediate shutdown. McNeill testified that about 480 TSA officers have left their jobs since the latest partial shutdown began, and training new hires takes months. That attrition, coupled with an expected surge of passengers for summer events — including World Cup matches in the U.S. in less than 80 days — raises concerns about a potential “perfect storm” of staffing shortages and heavy travel demand.
For now, paying TSA officers should help stabilize operations, but how quickly checkpoints return to normal will depend on whether officers stop calling out, whether departures can be stemmed, and how quickly the agency can restore full staffing and services.
