• I booked a trip to an important work conference to network and meet with potential clients.
• When I got to the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, I saw the long TSA lines and waited hours.
• I missed my flight and the conference, which cost me business opportunities.

This wasn't just a missed flight. It was my path to a room full of investors at the Transform conference in Las Vegas. It was the kind of access that matters when you're building a new coaching business, and every connection could change your trajectory.

The night before, there was a moment that now feels like eerie foreshadowing. My husband asked what time to set the alarm for so he could take me to the airport. He thought my flight was at 7:35 a.m., not 7:35 p.m. We laughed it off.

In retrospect, we probably should have gone with his plan. If I had gotten there 12 hours early, I might've made that flight. Instead, I did what most of us do. I planned carefully.

Before leaving, I asked my 17-year-old to check TSA wait times. He said it was 45 minutes. I smiled, thinking that sounded too good to be true. From experience, a posted 45-minute wait usually means closer to two hours. I accounted for that.

What I didn't account for was five.

The TSA line wrapped around baggage carousels

By the time I reached Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on Sunday afternoon, the line was too long to be just 45 minutes. It wrapped around baggage carousels and thickened into a dense, slow maze past carousel nine.

I tried to be patient, but none of us was going anywhere. I kept checking the time on my Fitbit, then on my phone, as if one might offer a different reality. I was trying to make sense of what I couldn't control.

That's when something shifted. I couldn't move the line, but I could choose how I met the moment — whether I spiraled into frustration or grounded myself in what I could still impact.

While still in line, I pulled up the Delta app to rebook. Every flight to Las Vegas on Sunday night was sold out. At the same time, I started texting with Delta customer service. They advised me to go to the baggage help area and request that my luggage be removed from the plane.

They submitted the request. I waited, hoping there was still time. Then the status on my FlyDelta app changed to "On board."

I never made it to the gate, but my bag did. While I was returning home, my bag was in Vegas, living its best life without me.

This wasn't just any trip; it was a room I needed to be in

For someone building a new coaching business, the kind of access I would have gotten at the conference is essential.

Transform is a conference focused on the future of work. This year's theme, centered on the Human + AI equation, brings together founders, investors, and leaders to explore how organizations are evolving in real time.

Through curated meetings, hands-on sessions, and structured networking like FastPass, conference attendees are matched with the right people rather than the casual introductions many conferences offer. That was the part I was most excited about.

I had four pre-planned meetings scheduled. Those were conversations that could have turned into partnerships, clients, or long-term collaborations.

I also invested time and resources into being there. While my conference ticket was covered through a volunteer role and I now have a flight credit with Delta, I am still working through hotel charges and other trip expenses I never completed. I rescheduled existing clients to make space for the trip, which means a delay in guaranteed revenue.

More than that, I can't stop thinking about the potential revenue and relationships that could've come from simply being in the room. As an entrepreneur, those moments matter. They are often where momentum begins.

These TSA delays are affecting all of us in different ways

What I experienced isn't unique. Long security delays are causing people to miss flights and opportunities that may never come back. Those impacts show up in the quiet ways our lives are rerouted: a room we never enter, a conversation that doesn't happen, or a deal that doesn't get made.

We call delays inconveniences, but sometimes they cost access. And in business, access is everything.

Behind every long line is a real cost: time lost, plans disrupted, or opportunities missed. We don't always see those costs. But we feel them.

• 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.