• TSA agents are a hot topic as scores quit and call out sick during the partial government shutdown.
• Agents undergo up to six months of rigorous training to ensure they can spot prohibited items.
• Take Business Insider's quiz and see if you know what you can — and can't — bring on the plane.

Do you have what it takes to be a TSA agent?

Transportation security officers don't only screen passengers and luggage, but also ask travelers security questions and look out for suspicious activity.

From the X-ray machine to pat-downs, it takes substantial training to ensure agents can spot prohibited items. Becoming a TSA agent takes four to six months.

And sometimes, what's prohibited might not be as obvious as you think. While there are definite no-nos — like weapons — other banned items are a little more unexpected.

With that in mind, Business Insider created a quiz on passengers bringing items through airport security and take into the cabin with them.

Try it below to see if you know what's allowed and what's not in your carry-on:

TSA issues persist

Staffing shortages are causing enormous lines at airport security checkpoints right now and putting severe pressure on TSA workers.

Large numbers have been calling out since the partial government shutdown began on February 14, which stopped TSA staff from being paid. More than 400 have quit entirely.

The Department of Homeland Security says this leaves "critical gaps in staffing."

"TSA simply cannot afford to lose its screening workforce as it takes four to six months to train new recruits."

During the shutdown, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been deployed to 14 US airports.

That's drawn criticism from many in the aviation industry, including flight attendants' unions, which accused politicians of using workers as "pawns in this dangerous game" in a Sunday statement.

On Tuesday, the Association of Flight Attendants created an online reporting form for its members to flag incidents, like ICE agents "doing work they are not trained to do, such as screening passengers and baggage."

• The acting head of the TSA said more than 480 officers working without pay have quit during the shutdown.
• She said they can't be replaced fast enough to adequately staff airports for the World Cup in June.
• It could be another saga of long security lines due to understaffed TSA during a peak travel period.

Even if the partial government shutdown ends soon, the fallout at the Transportation Security Administration could spill into the summer's marquee event.

In a House testimony on Wednesday, acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill said that so many officers have quit since their pay stopped in mid-February that the agency can't get replacements fast enough to adequately staff airports ahead of the World Cup in June.

She said TSA officers spend four to six months in training before working checkpoints, but the games — which will take place across 16 cities in the US, Canada, and Mexico — start in just 80 days.

"This is a dire situation," she said, adding that more than 480 officers have quit so far. "We are facing a potential perfect storm of severe staffing shortages and an influx of millions of passengers at our airports."

TSA agents haven't been paid for nearly six weeks, yet are deemed "essential" and expected to work during the shutdown, with back pay promised afterward. Their annual pay starts at around $40,000 and averages $60,000 to $75,000 a year with experience.

Still, many live paycheck to paycheck and can't afford to work unpaid for months at a time — quitting and finding another job or doing gig work is often their best option.

Mass TSA agent quits and callouts amid the shutdown, compounded by peak spring break travel, have already created hourslong security lines and stranded travelers. It's a preview of the chaos that could repeat when an estimated 6 million fans descend on potentially understaffed airports for the World Cup.

"If we see any spikes [in attrition], we're going to have to pivot and assess how we are going to staff the FIFA locations adequately," McNeill said.

Passengers traveling to the scheduled World Cup games in San Francisco and Kansas City, however, are likely safe from staffing chaos.

Both city airports use private security officers employed by contract companies instead of TSA, meaning their agents are being paid despite the shutdown.

It's not just the TSA sounding the alarm

Former Republican Sen. from Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin — who was confirmed as the new head of the Department of Homeland Security on Monday after Kristi Noem's ousting in early March — said in a Senate hearing last week that the US is "behind" on World Cup preparations and the shutdown is making it worse.

"It'll take four months once funding comes in to start replacing those that we've lost for training before we can get them out in the field; we don't have four months with FIFA," he said. "How do we expect these people to stay on the job and work? We're losing institutional knowledge, we're losing people we've already trained."

The mass quits are exacerbating a problem that was already flagged last year.

A February 2025 report from the US Travel Association — long before the shutdown's impact could be factored in — warned that the TSA may not be efficient enough to handle surging travel volumes during the World Cup.

On its busiest days, the agency screened about 3 million passengers. During the games, the organization said that level of traffic would be the norm.

Lawmakers are still negotiating a funding deal to reopen DHS and end the partial shutdown.

• San José airport starts testing an AI robot called José to assist travelers.
• The pilot test launched on Tuesday amid travel chaos at many US airports.
• Some TSA workers have stopped coming into work due to a government shutdown.

One of Silicon Valley's main airports just made its newest hire, a robot named "José."

San José Mineta International Airport is turning to artificial intelligence to ease the strain of modern air travel, debuting "José," a humanoid robot, as some US airports grapple with staffing shortages and widespread delays.

Developed by Silicon Valley startup IntBot, José is designed to greet passengers, answer questions, and provide real-time updates while autonomously navigating busy terminals.

The robot will be stationed in SJC's Terminal B as part of a four-month pilot, "singlehandedly running his own gate," according to an email previewing the test that referred to José as the airport's "newest hire."

Airport officials said the launch highlights San José's role as a testing ground for emerging technologies to improve customer service.

"By piloting IntBot, we're exploring how artificial intelligence can enhance the passenger journey while reinforcing SJC's role as the gateway to Silicon Valley," said SJC Director of Aviation Mookie Patel.

The timing is notable. Airports across the US have been hit by long security lines and travel chaos, driven in part by many Transportation Security Administration workers not reporting to work during a partial government shutdown. With TSA agents going unpaid at the height of the spring break season, some airports have struggled to maintain normal operations.

José the robot represents a broader push to automate parts of the airport experience, from passenger assistance to information delivery.

SJC officials said the pilot will help evaluate how multimodal AI, combining vision, audio, and language, performs in real-world environments.

The future of air travel may include a robotic helping hand — and it can't come fast enough for weary vacationers stuck in long lines.

Sign up for BI's Tech Memo newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at abarr@businessinsider.com.

• Houston and Atlanta airports are warning travelers of four-hour security lines.
• Delta, United, and Allegiant have waived some fees to give passengers rebooking flexibility.
• TSA agents have been calling out of work as they aren't being paid due to a government shutdown.

Some airlines are waiving change fees for passengers affected by hourslong waits at airport security.

Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Allegiant have issued advisories giving travelers more flexibility during the ongoing travel chaos. Most airlines eliminated most change fees after the COVID pandemic, but many still charge them for changes to basic fares.

Due to a partial government shutdown, TSA agents have been working without pay since February 14. As a result, more of them have been calling out of work.

As many as 10% of all TSA agents called out on several days last week, the Department of Homeland Security said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been deployed to some major airports.

The shutdown persists as Republicans and Democrats are at loggerheads over funding for the DHS. Republicans want to allocate billions more to ICE, but Democrats want it to be reformed in the wake of January's violence in Minnesota.

Here are the airlines that are offering waivers:

Delta Air Lines

In a travel advisory, Delta said that travel from its main hub, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International, "may be affected" by longer security wait times. The airport is advising passengers to allow at least 4 hours for domestic and international screenings.

Delta customers flying from Atlanta on Monday or Tuesday can rebook to travel on or before March 30, and the fare difference will be waived.

Within a year of the ticket being issued, passengers could rebook without a change fee but would still need to pay the fare difference. Or, they could apply any unused value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new one.

A Delta spokesperson said this only applies for people on flights originating from Atlanta, not connecting through the hub.

United Airlines

United issued an alert for Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, saying travel "may be affected."

Tickets purchased on or before Sunday, for travel on Monday or Tuesday, can be rescheduled for a United flight until March 31. "Tickets must be in the same cabin and between the same cities as originally booked."

The airline didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on whether this was directly related to TSA staffing shortages. A banner on the airport's website on Tuesday said security wait times could exceed 4 hours.

Allegiant Air

Allegiant announced a "travel with confidence" policy that allows customers with new and existing tickets through the end of the partial government shutdown to change or cancel their flights at no extra charge.

This includes "no change fees for eligible bookings" and the "option to cancel and receive a refund without penalty."

JetBlue

"With the exception of Blue Basic, all JetBlue fares are flexible — meaning no change or cancellation fees for customers who want to adjust their travel plans ahead of time," an airline spokesperson told Business Insider.

Customers who miss their flight due to long security lines will be rebooked on the next available flight, they added.

JetBlue advises customers to arrive earlier than normal, and said that it's working closely with TSA and continues to monitor the situation.

Southwest

Southwest said it is rebooking passengers who miss their flights due to long TSA lines at no cost.

The airline added that customers are also being offered change waivers and that it's "accepting checked bags well in advance of scheduled flights."

• Some Las Vegas casinos are donating food and care items to local TSA agents working without pay.
• An MGM Resorts International executive said its critical TSA staff work to keep tourists flowing.
• Las Vegas has already seen a decline in visitors and revenue amid economic uncertainty.

As a government shutdown snarls air travel and stretches security lines, Las Vegas's biggest industry is stepping in to show its support for unpaid TSA agents.

MGM Resorts International — the largest casino company on the Las Vegas Strip with a large portfolio of hotels, including the Bellagio, MGM Grand, and Excalibur — sent meals and care packages to its local TSA agents who have been working without pay for five weeks.

MGM Senior Vice President of Global Security and Aviation John Flynn said the company has so far delivered 1,400 lunches to Harry Reid International Airport, with more planned in the next week. There are more than 1,000 TSA employees at LAS.

Flynn said it's critical that TSA agents are supported so they continue to show up for work to keep Las Vegas' travel industry moving. If travelers worry about long security lines getting home, they may think twice about booking a trip in the first place — potentially leaving hotel rooms empty and casino floors quieter.

"We're a city built on hospitality; we depend on travel and tourism," Flynn said in a recorded message shared with Business Insider. "To be able to keep the lines low and to be able to keep that tourism engine thriving, it all happens here at the airport. Without [TSA agents], we wouldn't have a seamless experience for our guests."

It appears the donations are helping. I flew through Las Vegas on Monday around 8 p.m. and saw virtually no line in either the general or TSA PreCheck queue. I also cleared PreCheck in less than 2 minutes.

Luke Nimmo, a Las Vegas airport spokesperson, told Business Insider that donations from MGM and community members "make a difference," and that wait times have been normal since the shutdown began over a month ago.

This is in stark contrast to some cities across the US, where lines have snaked around buildings and into parking garages for up to 3 hours. Airlines have had to delay flights to accommodate the lines; some passengers waited so long that they missed their plane altogether.

The chaos has popped up at seemingly random airports; it's unclear why, though spring break travel has exacerbated the problems at some of them. Hot spots like Houston Hobby, New York-JFK, and New Orleans airports have seen the worst waits.

Nimmo said Las Vegas also saw short lines during last year's shutdown thanks to "generous donations." Among them was MGM, which sent 700 meals and personal items like soap and mouthwash to TSA agents in November 2025.

Las Vegas airport has opened a "food and essentials" pantry stocked with non-perishable snacks, ingredients, toiletries, and baby and paper products for TSA and customs agents affected by the shutdown.

But Nimmo said inventory is low and has asked the community for more donations. Stocking non-food products helps agents save money on other basic necessities.

TSA agents received their first $0 paycheck over the weekend and won't be paid until Congress reaches a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security. DHS funding lapsed on February 14 amid a political fight over the Trump administration's immigration tactics.

It's unclear if any other casino companies have participated in TSA donations. The Wynn Las Vegas declined to comment; Caesars Entertainment did not immediately respond.

The timing of the shutdown and its subsequent chaos is especially sensitive for a tourism-driven city already navigating economic uncertainty and shifting travel demand.

Gaming revenue is up, but restaurants, retailers, and bars are suffering from declining visitor numbers. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority says the area saw a 7.5% decline in tourists — roughly 3 million people — in 2025, the city's largest drop outside the pandemic.

Analysts attribute the decline in part to budget-conscious travelers feeling the pinch amid inflation and the city's growing nickel-and-dime fees and surcharges. The city is also hosting fewer Canadians who have canceled their travel plans due to political tensions with the US.

Several airports are asking for TSA donations

Airports across the US have called on the community to help TSA agents working without pay. Denver International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have set up donation boxes for gift cards and household essentials.

Many smaller airports like John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, and North Central West Virginia Airport near Clarksburg have similarly posted on social media asking for donations.

Denver and Columbus airports suggested gift cards for gas and grocery stores, but asked that they be no more than $20 and specified that they cannot accept Visa gift cards.

The gestures of goodwill are reminiscent of when airline pilots, flight attendants, and their respective unions sent pizza and other goodies to air traffic controllers working without pay during the 43-day-long shutdown in October and November last year.

This shutdown has not affected the pay of air traffic controllers, who work for the Federal Aviation Administration under the Department of Transportation, which is funded and open.

• TSA agents have gone unpaid for the last month, causing delays at some airports.
• That's because of the ongoing DHS shutdown, spurred by disagreements over ICE funding.
• Here's where things stand with the ongoing partial government shutdown.

If you've been to the airport in the US lately, you may have encountered long lines at security.

That's because Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents have been working without pay since mid-February.

Some of those agents, fed up with the situation, have begun calling in sick or even quitting, according to the agency.

So, why aren't agents getting paid?

A long but largely ignored partial government shutdown

You may not have realized it, but the US has been in a partial government shutdown since February 14. It's already the third-longest shutdown in American history.

A "shutdown" occurs when lawmakers in Washington fail to pass a bill to fund a portion of the government. The longest-ever shutdown occurred in the fall and lasted 43 days.

But this one's different because every department has been funded for the rest of the fiscal year, except one: the Department of Homeland Security.

That department oversees several agencies, including not just TSA, but also the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Coast Guard, and — most significantly — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

It all goes back to Minneapolis

Just a couple of months ago, none of this seemed like it would happen. Then, Alex Pretti was shot by border patrol officers in Minneapolis on January 24.

Pretti's death, along with the fatal shooting of Renée Good two weeks earlier, led to outrage among Democrats on Capitol Hill, who demanded reforms to both CBP and ICE before they would agree to fund the agencies any further.

While Republicans have a majority in both chambers, the Senate's 60-vote "filibuster" rule means that Democratic votes are needed to pass major funding legislation, given that there are just 53 GOP senators.

The Pretti shooting happened just before a package of government funding bills, including the bill to fund DHS, was set to come up for a vote.

Lawmakers in both parties ultimately agreed to strip DHS funding from the package and pass the rest, and there was only a brief shutdown at the end of January, largely due to timing.

That kicked off negotiations between Democrats and Republicans over DHS funding, which have largely stalled in recent weeks.

Where things stand right now

Democrats have laid out a series of demands for ICE and CBP, including ending roving patrols and tightening arrest warrant rules, increasing accountability measures for ICE, including independent investigations, and adding body cameras and removing masks from ICE officers.

Republicans have publicly rejected many of those points, and while the two sides have exchanged proposals, negotiations have largely stalled.

In the meantime, Democrats in both the House and the Senate have begun to press for bills that would fund DHS except for ICE and CBP.

In a letter to colleagues sent on Monday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced that Democrats would try to force a vote on a bill to do just that in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats have tried to pass similar legislation, but have also been blocked.

Republicans have largely objected to these efforts out of concern that, should those bills pass, Democrats will have little incentive to continue negotiating on ICE and CBP, potentially leaving those agencies without funding in the long term.

• Southwest Airlines will no longer serve Chicago O'Hare and Washington Dulles starting June 4.
• It will still fly from Chicago Midway, Baltimore/Washington International, and Reagan National.
• Midway and Baltimore are Southwest hubs, but it has a small presence at O'Hare and Dulles.

Southwest Airlines is retreating to its strongholds.

It announced late last week that it will no longer fly from Chicago O'Hare and Washington Dulles Airports starting June 4.

The move is part of its "ongoing efforts to refine its network," it added.

However, it said there won't be any "significant changes" to flight availability from the cities because it's still operating at other nearby airports: Chicago Midway (MDW), Baltimore/Washington International (BWI), and Washington Reagan National (DCA).

O'Hare and Dulles are both popular international airports, ranked third and 22nd in the US, respectively, by passenger numbers. That heightened competition drives up operating costs and gate fees, which isn't ideal for a budget carrier like Southwest.

Meanwhile, Midway is a major hub for Southwest. It carries over 90% of passengers there, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Data from the aviation analytics firm Cirium shows over 6,000 Southwest flights scheduled from there this month. That's more than 13 times as many as from O'Hare.

"We are confident we can serve Chicagoland from our long-standing base at Midway, where we will continue to offer service to more than 80 destinations, including the 15 markets we serve from O'Hare," the airline said.

It comes as United Airlines and American Airlines are fighting for dominance at O'Hare. The former is increasing its flight schedule and working to acquire two gates from Spirit Airlines' bankruptcy proceedings.

Southwest said that operating from O'Hare "continues to be challenging." It only started flights there in 2021.

In and around the nation's capital, the airline is similarly exiting an airport where it has a weaker presence.

Cirium data shows just 93 Southwest flights scheduled from Dulles this month: Twice daily to Denver, and once a day to Phoenix.

United Airlines is the main player there with a majority of the market share.

Meanwhile, Southwest operates nearly three-quarters of flights from Baltimore. It's the second-biggest airline at Reagan National, behind American on 27%, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Southwest said it is "the largest carrier in the Washington area in terms of passengers carried."

It will offer up to 271 departures to 79 nonstop destinations from DCA and BWI, it added.

Frontline employees at O'Hare and Dulles will be able to bid for positions at other airports where Southwest operates, the airline said.

• Airport security checkpoints in the US are under pressure due to the partial government shutdown.
• Many now-unpaid TSA agents are skipping work or even quitting, causing long lines and wait times.
• Here's the latest on TSA delays, and how to check wait times before you travel.

If there's anything that can bring Americans together to demand government action, it's long lines at airport security.

Those lines persisted at airports across the US this week as a partial government shutdown left the Department of Homeland Security and its Transportation Security Administration unfunded and their agents unpaid at the height of the spring break travel season.

Airports are now telling passengers to arrive up to three hours early to clear security in time for their flights.

The TSA on Sunday called on Congress to resolve the impasse over the immigration enforcement policies that have left the DHS unfunded for a month. The agency said hundreds of unpaid agents have quit.

"3+ hour TSA lines for travelers. 300+ TSA officers who have quit. A $0 paycheck for those continuing to serve. Enough is enough," the agency said in an X post on Saturday.

A group of airline CEOs also sent a letter to Congress on Saturday calling on Republicans and Democrats to figure it out. "Americans —who live in your districts and home states — are tired of long lines at airports, travel delays, and flight cancellations caused by shutdown after shutdown," the letter, which was signed by the CEOs of Delta, United, American, JetBlue, and others, says.

By early Tuesday morning, lengthy lines were still present at several airports, though they had calmed at some locations that had seen long lines over the weekend.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest by passenger numbers, had lines as long as 90 minutes at some domestic security checkpoints early on Tuesday morning, having seen waits of up to 2 hours over the weekend.

In a Monday X post, the airport encouraged travelers to allow extra time for screening and to arrive at least 3 hours before their flight. Many flights also faced lengthy delays or cancellations due to a major storm.

Lines at some checkpoints in the New York area's two biggest airports, JFK and Newark, were both around 30 minutes long early Tuesday.

At Dallas-Fort Worth, waits varied by checkpoint, ranging from over 20 minutes to as short as 2 minutes.

Austin-Bergstrom International was one of the worst-affected airports over the weekend, due in part to an influx of travelers for the SXSW festival.

The airport's social media channels are posting frequent updates about how busy TSA lines are, showing long lines in the terminal building on Tuesday morning.

While busy, Austin appeared to have calmed down compared to the end of last week and the weekend. Photos and videos shared by travelers over the weekend showed lines stretching from the terminal building into the parking lot.

To ensure passengers clear security in plenty of time, many airports are telling passengers to leave longer than usual to get through. Dallas-Fort Worth Airport told travelers to allow at least 2 hours for domestic flights, while Austin advised leaving 2.5 to 3 hours.

How to check wait times

The easiest way to avoid the stress of missing your flight is to arrive as early as you can. Many airports are advising travelers this week to arrive up to three hours before their flight.

To check TSA wait times, many airports, including major hubs like Atlanta, Houston, JFK, Newark, Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Denver, post them live on their websites.

These can also provide more specific insights. For example, DFW's website shows the wait times at each checkpoint.

While broadly reliable, some airport websites aren't always accurate. On Monday, Atlanta Airport said the feature was "currently unavailable due to a technical issue," although it was later fixed.

You can also use the MyTSA mobile app. It provides estimated wait times in 15-minute intervals based on average checkpoint data. The app, however, will use historical data if the live data cannot be retrieved. The TSA also says it is not "actively" managing its sites during the partial shutdown, and so the app may not always be updated.