CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News was with travelers this morning as they waited in line.
Some had to wait hours to get through TSA. But travelers were taking the long lines in stride.
Channel 2’s Tom Regan was at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport all afternoon.
For many traveler seeing the long lines at Atlanta’s airport on T.V. is one thing, but actually getting stuck in them is a whole another experience, a miserable experience.
“I’ve never seen lines this long. It’s a little bit shocking, honestly,” Desia Gilliam said.
“They’re insane, they’re insane. I wish they would do something about it,” Chelsea Ingram said.
With the ongoing stalemate in the nation’s capitol over the partial government shutdown, TSA employees haven’t been paid in weeks.
Many of the workers are struggling to pay bills and on an average day, 38-40% have called out sick.
Because of the worker shortage, many checkpoint lanes are now closed.
At the main checkpoint, there’s a lot of empty seats. Regan was told only five of 18 lanes are in operation.
Fewer lanes and workers mean longer lines.
But you know who isn’t complaining? The folks behind CLEAR, a biometric security identity platform that allows you to basically skip to the front of line.
It costs about $200 a year, but if you can’t afford to wait, for some it’s worth it.
“They’re definitely signing up when they see that line. They get scared, I’m going to miss my flight,” said Roderick Collier, CLEAR representative.
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