CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Earlier Sunday, passengers were confused about where lines actually started at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and some people aren’t able to make their flights.
Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers saw a lot of tears and felt a ton of frustration.
Airport officials are telling people to get here at least four hours early.
Rogers spoke to a Delta worker, who said they have had so many people miss their flights.
Lines wrapped around the Atlanta airport so far you could barely find the start.
“All the way at those doors, at the end of the building, like so far away,” traveler Cailyn Cole said.
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TSA workers haven’t seen a paycheck in three weeks now as the partial government shutdown continues.
And the Atlanta airport says around 30 to 40% of agents have called out in the past few days.
“I understand. They got to make a living,” Byron Pate said.
President Donald Trump says he’s deploying ICE agents to airports Monday morning.
Mayor Andre Dickens confirmed they’d be coming to the airport to help with line management and crowd control.
“TSA agents are law enforcement. They know how to pat people down. They know how to run the x-ray machines because they are, again, under homeland security with TSA. So if we can bring in other assets and tools to assist TSA to get rid of these lines,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
Passengers we talked to aren’t on board.
“Maybe you just allow our TSA agents to just get paid, and negotiate all your other things later, but this should be something that never gets shutdown,” said Julie Spade.
On Sunday, people said on top of standing for hours, it was hard even taking care of basic needs like using the bathroom or getting food.
“I’m on medication, and I’m already feeling dizzy and faint,” one traveler said.
And of course, people are worried about missing flights.
“I live in Idaho My flight leaves at 8, surgery at 6 in the morning. My flight in Boise gets in at 2 in the morning, so tensions is kind of high. ... It’s sort of a survival of the fittest situation right now, and it’s sort of a nightmare,” a traveler said.
Dickens says they’re also trying to support TSA staff. They’re giving them two meal vouchers a shift, free parking and free MARTA passes.
And just to note, if you’re trying to find alternate travel, rental cars are all out at the airport, but people have seen Amtrak tickets available.
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