Airport delays grow at Newark Liberty as shutdown strains TSA
Start checking TSA wait time as you would flight times if you're traveling. TSA call outs nationwide have tripled as agents start to lose pay due to the partial government shutdown.
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Long checkpoint lines at airport security around the country are causing people to miss flights.
It’s due to the partial government shutdown, which has cut funding for Transportation Security Administration agents, who are in turn calling out of work.
Wednesday coverage
So far, Newark Liberty International Airport hasn’t seen any mass callouts, but that could change if TSA agents follow the lead of those in Houston and Atlanta, where lines have snaked outside of terminal doors. At times, those lines are two to four hours long.
There are about 1,000 agents in Newark who will lose their first full paycheck on Saturday.
News 12 checked in with a travel agent who is telling customers that it's important to check TSA wait times just as they would flight delays. Travelers can do so by logging onto the MYTSA app or an airport website.
“Put some extra time in, get there a little earlier and it makes all of the difference. Be kind to these TSA agents, they’re not getting paid and dealing with frustrated customers who are there sometimes three hours before a flight to try and get through," said Kirsten Zollo, with Almost There Travel Group.
Nationwide, callouts by TSA agents have tripled.
Congress is debating immigration reform, which has affected funding for Homeland Security.
