TSA workers pay increase leads to reduced wait times at US airports

US Airports See Shorter Wait Times After Emergency Directive

Airport security checkpoints across the US are experiencing reduced wait times following an emergency directive signed by President Donald Trump last week. The directive ordered payment to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers, who had been working without pay due to a partial government shutdown.

As of 1pm in New York City, lines at John F Kennedy International Airport were under 30 minutes long, while similar hubs such as Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Baltimore’s Thurgood Marshall Airport reported wait times under 30 minutes. However, LaGuardia Airport, which primarily serves destinations in the US, parts of Canada, and the Caribbean, still experienced delays of up to two hours.

According to US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, TSA workers should begin receiving paychecks as early as Monday. The agency had reported record numbers of call-outs by TSA agents over the weekend, with 10.59% on Saturday and 12.35% on Friday.

The emergency directive was issued after Republicans in the US House of Representatives rejected a Senate-passed bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The agency had been operating without pay for several days due to the partial government shutdown, which is now entering its 45th day.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that TSA has begun paying its workforce and that officers should begin receiving payment “as early as today”.

Source: Al Jazeera