Muhammad Ali International airport( Louisville Regional Airport Authority)There have been increasingly frequent horror stories of long wait times at many airports across the country. So where do things stand with the Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville?LPM's Bill Burton spoke with airp ort spokesperson Natalie Chaudoin about what travelers can expect this spring break. This transcript was edited for clarity and brevity.Bill Burton: The partial government shutdown caused TSA agents to not receive paychecks for an extended period, which caused many to quit or just call out. What's happened at the Ali International Airport and what's happening now that TSA agents are at least getting some of their backpay?Natalie Chaudoin: We have to give a huge thank you to our local TSA agents and staff here in Louisville. They continue to show up day after day, providing a critical service for our travelers here locally. We were very lucky that we did not experience the issues that you saw at airports across the country. Our TSA staffing remained consistent and solid, meaning that passengers did not feel the impact. Our screening operations remain normal. They were able to continue to screen the same amount of passengers that they did during the shutdown, and continue to do as they were pre shutdown.BB: The partial government shutdown continues. It's uncertain how long TSA agents will continue to be paid through the executive order from President Donald Trump. How do you deal with that uncertainty?NC: I think it's one of those things that we maintain those relationships with TSA, and we're in constant communication with them. Obviously, no one has a crystal ball to see into the future, but those communication lines are very important to us, and we keep in routine conversations with them. But we've been very lucky here that there's been no impact to passenger screening operations at this time, and we're confident that that will be the case moving forward.BB: Spring break for Jefferson County Public Schools is next week, and that can certainly cause long lines at the airport. What are you expecting?NC: We are expecting a very busy few days for spring break travel. We expect wait times to be maybe a little bit higher than normal, but not too different. From Thursday, April 2 through Sunday, April 5, we're expecting more than 35,000 outbound travelers by the airlines. We expect to see a very busy few days.Sunday, April 5 and Thursday, April 2 are actually going to be the two busiest days. Sunday, we'll see more than 9,300 outbound seats, and then Thursday, we'll see a little over 9.000 outbound seats. It's going to be very busy. We expect people to be prepared to see heavier than normal crowds. We recommend folks arrive two to two and a half hours before their scheduled departure time, just to give themselves plenty of time to get parked, checked in through security, as most aircraft board about 30 to 40 minutes before their scheduled departure time.BB: What can people headed to the airport do to speed things along as much as possible?NC: I think it's always important to be familiar with where you're going, so make sure you visit our website, Flylocal.com. With the heavier than normal crowds for spring break, we do expect to see some intermittent temporary parking lot closures. Our garage and surface lot are always the most popular, but we have very convenient options in our Express Shuttle lot as well as our east and west lots.Be mindful of what you're packing. Visit tsa.gov to make sure you're not putting something in your carry on that should be in a check bag. If you have a backpack that you carry with you or your purse, take a peek in it before you get to the security checkpoint to make sure you don't have something in there that will not be permitted. ...read more read less