Travelers at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport faced security lines exceeding three hours on Sunday, March 8, 2026, as a partial government shutdown entered its third week, according to reports from passengers and airport officials.
The delays, which also impacted airports in New Orleans, Atlanta, and Charlotte, are directly linked to a staffing shortage within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), an agency overseen by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Funding for DHS lapsed on February 13, 2026, following congressional deadlock over immigration enforcement reforms, leaving approximately 50,000 airport security screeners working without pay.
At Hobby Airport, wait times peaked at three and a half hours on Sunday afternoon, remaining around three hours by 6 p.m. Officials were forced to close the TSA PreCheck lane, operating the checkpoint at a “limited capacity” with not all lanes open, according to airport statements. Similar scenes unfolded at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, where lines stretched beyond the checkpoint area, prompting officials to advise travelers to plan ahead.
“TSA is experiencing a shortage of workers at the security checkpoint, which is causing longer-than-average lines,” the New Orleans airport stated in a social media post. Passengers reported lines winding through terminals and extending outside buildings. Eliana Patterson, traveling from New Orleans to Boston, told Reuters she worried about missing her flight due to the extensive delays.
The disruptions coincide with the start of the spring break travel season, with airlines anticipating approximately 171 million passengers between March 1 and April 30 – a 4% increase over the previous year, averaging nearly 3 million passengers daily, according to Airlines for America.
Tarel Hunte, a traveler attempting to fly from Belize to Atlanta via Houston, spent four hours in the security line at Hobby Airport and missed his connecting flight. He subsequently faced further delays and had to purchase a second ticket to reach his final destination, recounting his experience to WRKF while waiting for a connecting flight in New Orleans. “It was horrible. It was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced as far as traveling, and I travel a lot,” Hunte said.
Lauren Bis, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, acknowledged the long lines in a statement to ABC News, stating that travelers were facing waits “nearly 3 hours long at some major airports, causing missed flights and massive delays during peak travel.”
While the TSA initially stated that TSA PreCheck would remain operational during the shutdown, the agency reserved the right to “evaluate on a case-by-case basis and adjust operations accordingly,” raising concerns about potential further disruptions to expedited screening services.
As of March 12, 2026, the partial government shutdown remains in effect, and no resolution to the congressional impasse on immigration enforcement reforms has been announced.
