PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Some TSA agents are back on the job Saturday after missing their first full paycheck amid the partial government shutdown. Many workers have called out to take on a second job, while hundreds across the country have quit.
The worker shortage is being aggravated by the spring break travel crush, causing longer lines and wait times at TSA checkpoints.
The Terminal C checkpoint has been closed since Thursday. Travelers with TSA PreCheck who would typically go there are being diverted to the Terminal A-East and Terminal D/E checkpoints. The line for Terminal B security extended nearly to the end of the breezeway Saturday morning. The wait time at its worst was about 30 minutes.
TSA agents screened people and moved them along, but passengers should still plan for a longer-than-normal wait time to make sure they aren’t late to the gate.
“We made sure we were parked and got a little more than two hours, so I’m just hoping we make the flight on time,” said Colleen Kennedy, of Deptford. She and her husband were anxious about getting through security in time for their 8:15 a.m. flight to Tampa.
“Just hoping if we don’t make the flight in time that they can put us on another flight, so of course that’s what I’m hoping for,” she said.
Matt McKee travels for work and is frustrated by the shutdown. He feels the lingering effects are unnecessary.
“Again, not the TSA agents’ fault, they’re just doing their job. This is sort of an unnecessary situation. I think this is an attempt to punish the public because some people aren’t getting their way,” McKee said.
The partial shutdown affects only the Department of Homeland Security, which includes TSA. The last time TSA officers were paid was on Feb. 28, when partial checks went out for work completed before the shutdown began.
Plus, airline ticket prices are starting to climb as carriers respond to rising jet fuel costs tied to the war in the Middle East.
Airlines can add or increase fuel surcharges, an extra fee common among carriers outside the U.S. that’s added on top of the base ticket price.
Major U.S. carriers, however, don’t charge a separate fuel surcharge. Instead, they build fuel costs into the overall ticket price, meaning any increase is more likely to show up as a higher base fare for travelers, according to Tyler Hosford, security director at global risk management firm International SOS.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has warned that higher ticket prices will probably start very soon, adding it’s not a question of if airline fares will rise, but when and by how much, especially on long-haul international routes.
Congress remains at a standoff over funding DHS. Democrats are proposing to approve funding for the TSA and Coast Guard separately from the overall Homeland Security budget, but Republicans do not want that. They’d prefer Congress pass one overall homeland budget.