Larissa Malkaysan waited in the security line at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport for 90 minutes before she even reached the “start” of the line area. Meanwhile, she witnessed fellow passengers reduced to tears as they missed flights due to the long wait times that have resulted at airports across the country as a result of Transportation Security Administration staff shortages. She documented the scene in a TikTok video from the terminal. “Everyone was frustrated and there were multiple people crying in line as they were actively missing their boarding and plane departures,” Malkaysan tells TODAY.com. “People were trying to remove ropes and bleed into lines to get ahead of it.” “Many agents were offering free Clear access for people boarding within the hour, but the Clear line started becoming just as long,” she continued. “TSA agents had told us over 600 people have already missed their flight from that afternoon and evening. It was a madhouse for sure, but everyone was very thankful for the TSA agents that were there and were doing their best.” Malkaysan is one of millions of travelers experiencing frustrating wait times, delayed flights and cancelled flights around the country. Many TSA officers have called out sick or left for other jobs because they haven’t been paid for more than a month due to the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security. Speaking to TODAY on March 24, Katy Nastro from the travel app Going tells us this March is on pace to have almost a million more people flying compared to last year. With so many questions swirling around airline travel due to the issue, here’s what to know if you’re heading to the airport this spring. Why are there delays? Airports are facing shortages of TSA officers due to a partial shutdown of the government that began in mid-February and is affecting funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA. As a result, roughly 50,000 TSA officers have not received a paycheck for more than a month, causing some to depart for other jobs to make ends meet or call out sick to work jobs for immediate money. More than 400 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown began. “I tell people to practice patience with empathy when speaking with TSA officers,” Dr. John Rose, the chief risk advisor at corporate travel management company Altour, tells TODAY.com. “When you start missing a couple of paychecks, you’ve got to make a choice: ‘I’ve got to put food on the table and pay my bills.’” Rose added that while TSA officers may eventually get backpay, that’s not guaranteed. Plus, some of them need money right now for bills and life expenses. Which airports are affected most? The Department of Homeland Security has shared data of the airports that have the highest rate of TSA officers calling out of work in recent days. The call-out rate for March 22 was 11.76% across all airports, which is the highest rate since the partial government shutdown began. There were more than 3,450 TSA officers who called out on that day. On March 22, the major airports with the highest call-out rates were as follows: Louis Armstrong International Airport, New Orleans — 42.3% Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta — 41.5% George Bush Intercontintental Airport, Houston — 39.1% Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore — 38.1% John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York — 37.4% Pittsburgh International Airport — 24.7% Philadelphia International Airport — 24.2% Why are ICE agents getting involved? President Donald Trump announced on March 21 that ICE agents would be sent to airports around the country to assist TSA officers beginning on March 23. “ICE will do the job far better than ever done before!” he wrote on Truth Social. White House border czar Tom Homan told CNN’s “State of the Union” on March 22 that ICE agents would initially be sent to the large airports experiencing the longest wait times. The ICE agents will cover security points and conduct line control but are not trained to operate the X-ray machines screening bags, which will still be handled by TSA officers, according to a senior ICE official who spoke to NBC News. NBC News confirmed the presence of ICE officers at 13 airports on Monday, March 23. When will the delays end? Until Congress votes to restore funding to DHS, the situation at the airports will go on indefinitely. Rose also noted that even when funding is restored, there still may be staff shortages due to the TSA officers who have permanently quit. “There’s going to be a bit of time before they get back to full staff,” Rose says. How early should travelers get to the airport? Katy Nastro from the travel app Going says to give yourself 2.5 to 3.5 hours before your boarding time. She advises adding even more time if you’re flying international and if you’re traveling at the busiest times, which she says are Friday afternoons and Sunday mornings. While it depends on the airport, Rose says three hours before domestic flights is a good rule of thumb. He also advises checking airport wait times two days prior to your flight, one day ahead and then the day of the flight. “Almost all airports have the real-time TSA waits on their websites,” Rose tells TODAY.com. “It’s pretty public information. There’s nothing wrong with getting there plenty early. If it works out and you get through early, grab a cup of tea or read a book instead of being online terrified that you might miss your flight.” Malkaysan, a frequent traveler, also advised getting there three hours early. “If you get lucky and have no line at all, then enjoy the peace of knowing you didn’t miss your flight,” she said. Madison Terry advised in a TikTok video on March 18 to arrive four hours early after saying the wait time listed on the website for the busy Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport was off by an hour. “It’s overwhelming, for sure,” Terry, who traveled this week with twins under a year old, tells TODAY.com. “I own a ‘moms of multiples’ consultant firm so I did pre-prepare, and I basically had 48 hours worth of food, drink, clothes, all of those items with me, just in case. A lot of moms, they think if my flight is six hours, maybe I need something for 12 hours. Ultimately, if you were traveling with an infant right now, you need to be prepared for 48 hours for food, diapers and all of the above.” Terry, who is the wife of a professional baseball player, says she’s reconsidering traveling to follow her husband’s career because of the airport chaos. “I’m not sure when the next time I’m going to travel, if I’m being honest,” she said. “My husband’s a professional baseball player, so we got to travel with him, usually throughout the year. And now we’re probably going to have to come up with a different solution.” How to check TSA wait times Check estimated security wait times using an app or your airport’s website. One important factor to note: because of the shutdown, the MyTSA app isn’t as accurate with real-time data right now, so it’s best to check your airport’s website. Check the airport’s social media accounts You can also keep tabs on the airport’s social media accounts to see if anything major is happening, Nastro says. Check the airport map Last but not least, Nastro suggests studying the airport map to see if there are other security entrances you can use with shorter lines or even try going through a different terminal. However, and this is a big one — only use a different terminal if you can confirm you can still get to your gate. Sign up for TSA PreCheck and Clear For anyone signing up, be aware you do have to pay for both services and TSA PreCheck’s application and approval requires an in-person appointment, so you’d have to plan well before your trip. Both are programs created to expedite your time on the security line checking your bags and passing through TSA inspection. Experts say it’s best to also opt in for Touchless ID technology with TSA PreCheck. Most major airlines now offer this screening option. Registering for touchless ID can be done online by signing up through the airline you purchased tickets from. It’s expected to be at 65 airports by this spring, according to TSA. However, it cannot be done on the day of your flight, so you have to do it in advance. Enrolling in TSA PreCheck or Clear should make your wait time on the security line shorter, but there is one important factor — staffing. “I’ve seen reports sometimes that (airports) have closed PreCheck and are pulling staff from there to help on the regular line because the line is epic,” Rose says. “TSA is doing the best job they possibly can with the staff that are showing up to work. They are not purposely slowing things down out of anger. As long as PreCheck and Clear are fully staffed, there are shorter waits.” Air Travel Mar 21 More than 400 TSA officers have quit since shutdown began Airlines Mar 21 For airline passengers, the shutdown answer is simple: Pay TSA officers See if your airport has TSA or private security Experts advise not to assume that just because you’re flying at a smaller airport, the lines are going to be faster, because they may also have fewer TSA resources. One option to investigate is that there are 20 airports nationwide — including larger San Francisco International — that actually use private security at the checkpoints as part of a screening partnership with the TSA. These airports have avoided the much longer lines seen at the aforementioned airports because they have not experienced staffing shortages. Those locations are as follows: Atlantic City International Airport, New Jersey Charles M. Schulz—Sonoma County Airport, California Dawson Community Airport, Montana Glacier Park International Airport, Montana Great Falls International Airport, Montana Greater Rochester International Airport, New York Havre City-County Airport, Montana Kansas City International Airport, Missouri L.M. Clayton Airport, Montana Orlando Sanford International Airport, Florida Portsmouth International Airport, New Hampshire Punta Gorda Airport, Florida Roswell International Air Center, New Mexico San Francisco International Airport, California Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, Florida Sidney-Richland Municipal Airport, Montana Sioux Falls Regional Airport, South Dakota Tupelo Regional Airport, Mississippi Wokal Field-Glasgow International Airport, Montana Yellowstone Airport, Montana If you miss your flight, try these next steps Many carriers are actually working with fliers right now, given the circumstances. Reach out to your airline via their app and see if you can switch to a later flight or ask about credit options. TODAY reached out to a few airlines about their policies. Delta will rebook passengers “where feasible.” United will rebook passengers “onto the next available option.” Southwest will rebook passengers “on the next available flight at no additional cost” or, if they decided not to travel, they will be “entitled to a flight credit or refund based on fare type originally purchased.” This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY: Chili’s Mocks Controversial Dress Code at Ruth’s Chris Steak House Can I Stick With the Same Weights and Still Build Muscle? A Trainer Shares Her Personal Approach Quadruple Amputee and Cornhole Pro Accused of Fatally Shooting Man While Driving This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less