SARASOTA, Fla. (NEXSTAR) – TSA lines don’t seem to be much of a problem at airports that technically don’t use TSA officers.
The ongoing partial government shutdown, which affects the Department of Homeland Security, has resulted in longer-than-average wait times at security checkpoints operated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), whose officers will not be paid until the shutdown has ended.
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The TSA says the issue has prompted hundreds of officers to quit and others to call out sick, leaving fewer staff to screen passengers. The issue has resulted in growinglines or even chaotic scenes at TSA checkpoints, according to travelers.
“Lines were insane. Very disorganized,” one traveler passing through JFK said Sunday morning. “Nobody knew where the start of the line was and people started to push into the lines everywhere.”
The shutdown has reportedly affected checkpoints at numerous major air hubs where TSA officers are currently employed. But the situation doesn’t appear so grim at a handful of airports where screening duties have been subcontracted to private security companies…