For the past few weeks, travel news has focused on the government shutdown and the effects it’s having on the industry.
We’ve seen how national parks are becoming overrun with trash and vandalism, and how Transportation Security Administration workers are either airlines/tsa-union-says-government-shutdown-causing-agents-to-quit.html” target=”_self” rel=”nofollow”>quitting or calling out of work in droves as they remain unpaid.
Despite the airlines/pilots-write-letter-urging-president-trump-to-end-shutdown.html” target=”_self” rel=”nofollow”>Air Line Pilot Association writing a letter to Trump urging the shutdown to end and local unions and government representatives explaining the suffering of TSA agents and justified reasons for TSA callouts, nothing has been done and the shutdown continues sacrificing security and efficiency in airports across the United States.
Now, travelers are feeling the effects of the government shutdown and they’re not happy about it.
So I’m at @ATLairport and this may be the longest security line I have ever seen. Even growing up here, and even for a Monday morning. One passenger told me he’d been waiting over an hour and still had about 30 minutes to go. pic.twitter.com/UL7EghujQI
— Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenezCNN) January 14, 2019
Videos and photographs of massive security lines at Atlanta-Hartsfield Jackson Airport are going viral today on social media which correlates with reports of hour-long wait times. Some passengers have even reported hour and a half waits.
Whew Chile! The Ghetto.#TSA is not conducting interviews and the lines are long at @JFKairport!
Is this your airport @realDonaldTrump?! pic.twitter.com/MFCjLHXf7W
— Devonta White (@FitFlyFellow) January 14, 2019
Travelers going through Atlanta airport aren’t the only ones suffering. Last week, TSA PreCheck lines in Terminal D at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport had wait times of 20 minutes, which is twice as long as the usual 10-minute wait time. According to tweets, the lines at DFW airport are still long today.
No joke! #GovernmentShutdown is really starting to rear it’s ugly head!
Day 24.#DFW airport security lines are LONG… and it’s not even 7am.#TSA agents doing their best, but one guy tells me they just don’t have enough people.
Traveling?? Get there early… WAY EARLY. pic.twitter.com/1ofsqPPzII— Mireya Villarreal (@cbsmireya) January 14, 2019
Travelers have also shared photos of long lines that lead out the door at Newark Airport and even lines that are more massive than usual at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Others have mentioned how they missed their flights due to long security lines.
Security line out the door at Newark airport. THIS is not fake news. @BilelloTsa @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/StTSirSRzL
— Sarah Sacco (@SarahASacco) January 14, 2019
As we peruse through thousands of tweets and social media posts, all travelers seem to have a few things in common. Firstly, they’re appreciative of the work by TSA agents and employees at their local airports and many try to share good cheer and plenty of thanks as they go through security lines.
The second thing they have in common? Their anger and blame at the Trump administration for disrupting the lives of its federal workers and its traveling citizens.
Unfortunately, there is still no indication of the government shutdown ending in the near future.
