Spring break travelers may face airport delays amid ongoing closures: expert
Footage from Friday morning showed long lines as Transportation Security Administration officials missed being paid during the Homeland Security shutdown. (Credit: KXAN)
Spring break travelers heading to airports during the partial US government shutdown must face potential delays, with experts warning security lines are already stretching for hours at some airports.
Passengers across the country are reporting long Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wait times, flight delays and crowded airports — with security lines at some airports reaching three hours, according to Eric Napoli, chief legal officer at travel company AirHelp.
Security lines at the airport in Austin, Texas, stretched the door early Friday morning, with passengers waiting for hours to board flights.
“For passengers who didn’t think there might be long lines, many missed their flights because of it,” Napoli told FOX Business.
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Travelers wait in line at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, March 9. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The disruption comes as more than 300 TSA officials have left the agency since the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown began. Unscheduled absences — or callouts — also rose to about 6% nationwide, a TSA official previously confirmed to Fox News Digital.
“When critical airline workers, especially TSA officers, work without pay the result is staffing shortages and operational difficulties at airports across the country,” Napoli told FOX Business.
Global Entry processing – which had been temporarily suspended during the shutdown – resumed last Wednesday, a move Napoli said could help ease congestion by removing some travelers from regular security lines.
Napoli advises travelers to plan ahead to avoid disruptions, including arriving earlier than usual and booking early morning flights, which are less likely to impact day-long delays.
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Travelers and workers pass through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., on March 13. (Annabelle Gordon/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Passengers should also pack valuables in carry-on bags in case of baggage delays or overnight disruptions.
Napoli urged travelers to understand their rights if flights are canceled or significantly delayed.
“If the airline informs the passenger that their flight is canceled or there is a new schedule that causes the flight to be significantly delayed, the passenger has the right to refuse the new schedule, decide not to take the flight, and receive a full refund,” said Napoli.
For baggage problems on domestic flights, airlines must reimburse reasonable expenses of up to $3,800 per passenger under federal rules, he added.
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People wait in long TSA lines as a partial government shutdown continues for several weeks at airports like Chicago O’Hare in Chicago, IL, on March 9, 2026. (Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Travel insurance and some credit cards can also provide cover for delays, missed connections or lost luggage.
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“A well-prepared passenger is one who knows his rights in various flight situations and when to pursue compensation,” Napoli said.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and Ashley DiMella contributed to this report.
