In air travel, uncertainty reigns. TSA staffing shortages, ICE agent deployments and a fatal runway collision at LaGuardia Airport have elevated recent chaos in many airports across the country.
As airports adjust to this havoc, travelers bear the brunt of the fallout, facing canceled and missed flights, increased TSA wait times, and greater uncertainty.
Multiple airports told NBC News they are changing the guidance they give travelers on how early to show up at the airport, in one case doubling the recommended arrival time, according to data NBC News collected.
Most of 23 major U.S. airports recommend the standard two hours in advance for domestic flights and three hours in advance for international travel. However, seven airports, which together service an average of 450,000 departing travelers a day, advised travelers to arrive from 2.5 hours early to four hours early.
These airports range from San Diego to Atlanta and to New York City. Most of the affected airports also have newly deployed ICE agents.
An additional seven airports did not respond to requests for comment.
Experts now advise showing up three hours in advance just to be safe.
A partial government shutdown that left the Department of Homeland Security without funding began Feb. 14. Transportation Security Administration workers, under DHS, have been working without pay since then, though President Donald Trump directed DHS to pay TSA workers in a memo he signed Friday.
Some 500 TSA workers have quit their posts.
TSA officers missed their first full paycheck in mid-March, resulting in many calling out of work. This leaves many TSA checkpoints unstaffed, which further lengthens wait times.
ICE agents have been deployed in several airports to assist with security.
TSA wait times are normal in most of the major U.S. airports, according to airport spokespeople and an NBC News review of published wait times. There are exceptions: This week, George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston reported wait times of four hours.
Senate Republicans, who rejected congressional Democrats’ legislation that would have funded the TSA, passed their own plan to fund DHS. House Republicans then rejected that plan and passed their own.
We’d like to hear from you about how you’re experiencing the partial government shutdown, whether you’re a TSA agent who can’t work right now or a federal employee who is feeling the effects at your agency. Please contact us at tips@nbcuni.com or reach out to us here.
