On Thursday morning at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, travelers faced long lines at TSA checkpoints, with a photo showing the queue nearly circling Terminal A's departures area. A TSA spokesperson said, "While the vast majority of TSA’s nationwide operations remain minimally impacted by the government shutdown, occasional delays at some security checkpoints are to be expected," according to KHOU.
On Tuesday evening, George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby airports had ground stops due to staffing shortages from the shutdown. The Federal Aviation Administration said the stops, which temporarily block flights from landing or departing, ended just before 5:45 p.m. at Hobby and around 6:30 p.m. at George Bush Intercontinental, with a "medium" possibility of extension. The Houston Airport System referred all questions to the FAA, which is not answering routine media inquiries because of the funding lapse, as reported by Houston Chronicle.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that airport delays could get worse if the government shutdown continues, adding to existing air traffic controller shortages. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said, "We could be sitting here at Thanksgiving, the busiest travel time of the year, with air traffic controllers still not being paid and delays for the public. That is a terrible outcome," while filing legislation to ensure essential air travel personnel are paid. TSA officers must work without pay, with a spokesperson saying, "The longer the shutdown goes on, the more severe the impact on our TSA workforce who have expenses they must pay for, making it harder to show up for work when not being paid," as per KHOU. Duffy also noted more air traffic controllers have called in sick, affecting the FAA and airport operations.
