• 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.

• 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."

• TSA agents at US airports are working without pay amid a partial government shutdown.
• Their salaries start around $40,000 annually and increase with time and experience.
• Top-level TSA leaders and workers living in expensive cities can earn six figures.

For five weeks, the people screening passengers and bags at US airports have been working without pay as the government shutdown — the second in four months — stretches on.

It's hitting a workforce that often lives paycheck to paycheck on middle-class salaries and is turning to food banks and community donations to get by.

More than 300 Transportation Security Administration officers (TSOs) have left the agency since mid-February, compounding staffing shortages that have created hourslong lines at airports like Orlando, Houston Hobby, and Philadelphia.

"We know these are not highly paid jobs, and we know that from the last government shutdown that it's difficult for TSA agents to work on a sustained basis without getting any income," Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst and the president of Atmosphere Research Group, told Business Insider. "The need to find supplementary jobs that will provide some type of income is completely understandable."

These screening officers receive modest pay but collectively have ensured that the US air travel system remains one of the world's safest and busiest in the quarter century since the 9/11 plane hijackings.

Most of the roughly 50,000 agents who interact with passengers daily start around $40,000 annually. They average "anywhere from $60,000 to $75,000" as they gain experience, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Business Insider.

TSOs living in more expensive cities, including Chicago, Houston, and San Francisco, receive a locality-based pay boost that can put them into at least the high five figures before any bonus opportunities.

Beyond frontline officers, senior officials — like regional directors who oversee multiple airports and managers at TSA headquarters who typically don't screen bags — can make six figures.

However, all of that pay is now on hold until Congress reaches a deal to fund DHS, whose funding lapsed on February 14 amid an impasse over the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown. TSOs received their first $0 paycheck in mid-March.

How TSO pay works

According to TSA Careers — a non-government website that the agency directed Business Insider to for information — TSO pay is organized into pay bands D through L, roughly corresponding to the federal government's GS-5 to GS-15 scale for civil servants.

Each band is divided into 10 "steps" that reflect time in service and incremental pay increases, with employees able to reach Step 10 within their given grade in about 3 years. TSOs are promoted to higher pay bands based on seniority and performance and can earn more by working overtime, nights, and Sundays.

At the bottom, brand-new TSOs, classified as Band D (roughly GS-5 equivalent) at Step 1, earn about $35,000 a year before locality or bonus pay, per the table. Most US cities receive an additional 16.8% locality adjustment in 2026, putting the lowest earners at an annual salary of around $40,000.

That works out to roughly $19 per hour for a standard 40-hour workweek — two and a half times the federal minimum wage of $7.25 and greater than any state minimum wage.

According to the global statistics website World Population Review, $40,000 still falls below the cost of living for a single adult with no children in most states; median wages for full-time workers in the US are about $63,000 a year, per Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Climbing the pay ladder — and living in more expensive cities — leads to higher wages for security screeners. At the top of the D band, for example, a Step 10 TSO in an airport with standard locality pay would earn about $52,300 annually, or about $25 per hour.

The table below shows the full range of what TSOs make across pay bands and steps before locality adjustments.

TSOs in about 50 higher-cost-of-living cities receive additional locality pay, with the largest being in San Francisco, where agents earn 46.3% on top of their base salary.

That would put a Band D Step 1 TSO new hire at about $50,500 a year in the Bay Area, after locality pay but before any extra income. Their Band D base salary caps out at about $65,600; Band E caps out at about $81,000.

A handful of other locations — including Seattle, Boston, Houston, Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, San Diego, Hartford, Connecticut, Washington, DC, and Alaska — receive locality boosts of at least 30%.

For example, TSOs at the top of the E band in DC, with a 33.9% locality, make about $74,000 annually. New York TSOs with a 38% locality in the same band earn between roughly $59,000 and $76,500.

TSOs earn more by climbing the leadership ladder

Experienced TSOs with years on the job and strong performance can advance into higher pay bands associated with management, analytical, and supervisory positions.

For example, moving into the F band — which includes roles like Lead TSO or Security Training Instructor — would place that agent in a salary range of roughly $61,000 to $79,000.

Program analysts, who work behind the scenes to optimize TSA efficiency through strategic planning and coordination, can fall into the G band. In a standard locality, they make between roughly $74,000 and $96,000. Cities like Houston or Hartford would push into the six figures.

The highest earners include top TSA leadership, like Federal Security Directors (FSDs), who oversee operations at their assigned airports and can earn about $162,600 in base pay at the top of the K and L bands.

Locality pay puts this even higher. A Step 1 FSD in San Francisco would make about $183,000 a year, rising to roughly $238,000 at Step 10, per the table. In Los Angeles, the base salary would range from about $170,000 to $222,000.

• Delays persist at TSA checkpoints across US airports due to the partial government shutdown.
• As of Monday morning, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport is advising travelers to show up 4 hours early.
• Here's the latest on TSA delays, and how to check wait times before you travel.

If you're flying in the US, get ready to stand in line.

Airports across the US are continuing to see lengthy waits at security checkpoints as scores of TSA workers call out due to missed paychecks.

A partial government shutdown has 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.

As many as 10% of all TSA agents called out on several days last week, DHS updates showed, with absence rates averaging as much as 20% in some airports. A DHS spokesperson told Business Insider that some airports, such as William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, had seen absence rates as high at 40.8%.

Security lines in affected airports are spiking unpredictably from day to day, and sometimes even from hour to hour.

"The current unpredictability is being driven by unpredictable staffing levels, basically, how many TSA officers are showing up for work on any given day," Sheldon H. Jacobson, the founder professor of engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an expert on aviation security and airport security screening, told Business Insider.

"TSA officers have historically been cross-trained to do many different tasks, so the number that show up is the key factor," Jacobson said.

How long are the TSA delays?

Delays at TSA checkpoints across the US have been unpredictable, and some airports are changing how they're communicating with travelers.

As of Monday morning, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest by passenger numbers, now displays the following message on its website: "Due to current federal conditions, passengers are advised to allow at least 4 hours or more for domestic and international screenings."

Atlanta has been among the worst-affected airports since the shutdown began, with over a third of TSA staff not showing up on some days.

The airport said there had been congestion at the international checkpoint as domestic travelers try to bypass long lines in the domestic terminal. The airport said domestic travelers should use the domestic checkpoints.

At Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, lines stretched over three hours on Sunday evening. As of Monday morning, the average wait time is 28 minutes.

Lines at checkpoints at JFK, the New York area's biggest airport, are running at 45 minutes on Monday.

JFK said it has "deployed additional customer care staff into terminals to help manage queues, assist passengers, and keep people moving as efficiently as possible."

As of Monday, Newark Liberty International Airport displays a message on its website that says security wait times may be "significantly longer than normal."

"Please allow for significantly more time and check with your airline for the current status of your flight," the message says.

Separate from TSA issues, LaGuardia Airport was closed early Monday after a plane collided with a vehicle. It will remain closed until at least 2 p.m. ET.

Denver, home of the fourth-busiest airport in the US, is experiencing wait times of 45 minutes on Monday. Dallas-Fort Worth lines are at 46 minutes.

At Los Angeles International Airport, the nation's fifth-busiest travel hub, waits were listed as "0" minutes.

Some airports have so far avoided the hourslong lines. Business Insider's Taylor Rains flew out of Las Vegas last week and saw minimal TSA lines.

The maximum wait time at Philadelphia International Airport was listed as 30 minutes on Monday, although some terminals were quicker.

How to check TSA wait times

The unpredictable delays mean travelers should plan for long waits even if their airport hasn't yet experienced problems.

The easiest way to avoid the stress of missing your flight is to give yourself extra time in the airport. Many airports are advising travelers this week to arrive up to three hours before their flight, even for domestic flights.

Many airports, including major hubs like Atlanta, Houston, JFK, Newark, Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Denver, have been posting TSA wait times live on their websites.

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

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.

How long will the TSA delays persist?

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said airport delays could get worse.

"As we get into next week and they're about to miss another payment, this is going to look like child's play, what's happening right now," Duffy said on CNBC.

Some airports could be forced to close, both Duffy and Adam Stahl, the TSA's acting deputy administrator, said.

Airports like Denver and Seattle have asked the public for food, gift cards, and basic supplies to support TSA staff working without pay.

• 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.