ATLANTA — Security wait times surged again Thursday morning at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, with lines stretching outside and onto the sidewalk after a brief lull in recent days.
“It is snaking around every baggage claim,” traveler Tracey Roberts said.
Roberts arrived at the airport just before 6 a.m. for a 10 a.m. flight and said the TSA PreCheck line was already out the door.
“I had to walk a quarter of a mile outside, it is moving but at 40 minutes in I’m just getting to the line where you snake through baggage claim,” she said.
Airport officials are urging travelers to arrive at least four hours before their flights.
Passengers reported long wait times Thursday morning, with some lines extending into departures and pickup areas outside the terminal. Roberts said it took her nearly two hours to get through security, even with PreCheck.
“They only really have two options; it’s PreCheck or either main security, so if you don’t have PreCheck you’re in the main security line but the PreCheck line looks to be as long as the main security line,” she said.
Officials say TSA callouts are hovering around 40% at the Atlanta airport as workers continue to go without pay during the partial government shutdown.
TSA officer Yolanda Keaton said morale is low among officers.
“They’re getting paid just to stand around, drink coffee, talk on the phone, walk the hallways, and it’s very hurtful; it’s a smack in the face if you ask me,” Keaton said, referring to ICE agents working at the airport.
Keaton said the situation is creating tension among workers and warned conditions could worsen if another paycheck is missed.
“We’re going to work with no pay, and we’re beside or walking around ICE agents that are getting paid. It’s not fair to us,” she said. “If we don’t get paid on Friday it’s going to get worse, the callout rate is probably like they say in Atlanta at about 40%, it’s going to climb even higher.”
Hartsfield-Jackson General Manager Ricky Smith said the airport is working to manage the situation, but acknowledged the strain.
“We’re spending the time that we have now on what we’re calling a ‘reprise’ to refine our line management strategy, to work closely with TSA,” Smith said.
Smith told the City Council’s Transportation Committee the airport is not designed for the current conditions.
“This is embarrassing, it is scary, it is frustrating,” he said.
Smith said the airport is accustomed to handling large crowds, but not under these circumstances.
“Managing lines in the baggage claim area, ticketing counter areas, and even on the curbside, that’s just not how this facility was designed,” he said.
Airport officials warn delays could continue into the weekend, with more challenges expected if the shutdown continues.
Lawmakers are expected to vote again Thursday on a proposal to fund the Transportation Security Administration and much of the Department of Homeland Security, though it is not expected to pass.
