The partial government shutdown keeping Transportation Security Administration agents out of airports is now 45 days long.
But there's good news for passengers flying out of New Orleans International Airport. Getting through security is a little less painful now than it was a month ago when the shutdown began.
"Right now, the lines are pretty normal," New Orleans International Airport assistant director Erin Burns said, noting that lines on Sundays and Monday mornings are still long. "Keep in mind, Sundays and Mondays are the busier days for us for outbound traffic."
However, Burns says during the rest of the week, lines are moving well and are minimal.
"It could be a combination of passenger load not being as significant. It could also be that people are taking heed of our advice and arriving here early," Burns said.
Burns says even though lines are getting back to normal, passengers should still arrive at the airport at least two hours of their flights to avoid getting stuck at the security checkpoints.
"There still is a shortage of TSA workers at the checkpoint," Burns said.
Burns says while the TSA shortage persists, airport officials will do what they can to keep lines organized and to move passengers as efficiently as possible through the airport.
"What we do is we keep lines organized. We have a lot of extra staff on hand to make sure passengers know where to go (and) to get in line," Burns said.
