NATIONWIDE — The Transportation Security Administration's average national callout rate reached nearly 12% on March 22, 2026, causing hours-long security delays at major U.S. airports. The TSA officer callout rate at Houston's William P. Hobby Airport reached 40%, while Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport saw 37% of TSA officers call out.
TSA agents have been working without pay since February 14, 2026, due to a partial government shutdown. TSA officers received their first zero-dollar paycheck in mid-March after Department of Homeland Security funding lapsed on February 14, 2026. As many as 10% of TSA agents called out on several days last week, according to the Department of Homeland Security. "More than 450 TSA officers quit and thousands have called out sick from work because they are not able to afford gas, childcare, food, or rent," said Lauren Bis, acting assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were deployed to some major airports to help bolster TSA staffing. Airlines responded to the staffing crisis by issuing travel alerts and waiving change fees for affected passengers.
Delta Air Lines advised passengers traveling from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to allow at least four hours for security screenings. The airline allowed customers flying from Atlanta on Monday or Tuesday to rebook on flights scheduled on or before March 30 with waived fare differences. United Airlines issued an alert advising that travel from George Bush Intercontinental Airport may be affected by longer security wait times. United allows tickets purchased on or before Sunday for travel on Monday or Tuesday from George Bush Intercontinental Airport to be rescheduled through March 31 on flights in the same cabin between the same cities.
The security line at LaGuardia Airport's Terminal B looped around the terminal four times on Tuesday morning. A TSA agent at LaGuardia's Terminal B told travelers it would take 90 minutes to reach the front of the security line on Tuesday morning. A banner on the George Bush Intercontinental Airport website stated that security wait times could exceed four hours.
"Most officers cannot afford to live in Atlanta, so they're living an hour, sometimes an hour-and-a-half away from work and need to commute. That's probably why you may see a big difference in larger airports," said Aaron Barker, union local president.
Allegiant Air's 'travel with confidence' policy allows customers with tickets through the end of the partial government shutdown to change or cancel flights at no extra charge and receive refunds without penalty. JetBlue Airways will rebook customers who miss flights due to long security lines on the next available flight. JetBlue Airways advises customers to arrive earlier than usual and said it is working closely with the TSA to monitor security wait times.
"When you're understaffed at a major hub, a long line only gets longer because there's never that natural break in passenger flow that allows things to catch up. It's a compounding problem," said Sally French, podcast co-host. Smaller airports have not seen increases in TSA callout rates during the partial government shutdown.