ATLANTA — Passengers spent hours in line to get through TSA checkpoints at the Atlanta airport yet again on Monday morning.
Airport officials confirmed that on Monday, 41% of TSA agents called out as the partial government shutdown continues.
Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Justin Gray spoke with the General Manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Ricky Smith.
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He says that because lines are so long and folks are missing their flights, lines just keep getting longer.
“Some passengers are missing flights, and so they’re coming the next day. And so all of that is just adding to more congestion, adding to longer lines,” Smith said.
He says that combined with agents calling out compounds the problems.
“[I waited] for about five hours, and I missed my flight,” passenger Sarah Paul said. “This is crazy. Pay the TSA workers, it’s not hard.”
Managing Editor of The Points Guy, Clint Henderson, says airlines are rebooking people on the next available flight, but that’s if and when there’s a seat. He says passengers should consider postponing or canceling travel.
“I never tell people to cancel. I never cancel trips, come heck or high water, so for me to be giving that advice, if I was leaving from Atlanta, Houston, New York, I would be reconsidering things,” Henderson said.
Smith disagrees, but says you should give yourself four hours before your flight.
The airport has temporarily turned off their system that tracks and shares wait times in real time.
“The system that we use is designed to monitor passengers in the checkpoint, right? Not in baggage claim, not in the curbside, and so that was creating confusion because it was underestimating,” Smith explained.
Gray checked with some airlines about dropping bags early, and Delta says you can check your bag six hours in advance. Southwest says they will check any early bag.
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