Shutdown 2026: Myths and facts about airport security |
Shutdown 2026: Myths and facts about airport security
The partial government shutdown impacting the Department of Homeland Security is now more than six weeks long. The Transportation Security Administration has been significantly affected, as officers working at airport security checkpoints are responsible for working without pay. Although law requires that they be paid once the DHS budget or a continuing resolution to fund the agency is passed, this does nothing to cover their day-to-day expenses and costs of living in the meantime.
As a result, many TSA employees have been forced to seek employment elsewhere just to make ends meet, leaving some airport security checkpoints short-staffed. This means fewer security lanes can operate, resulting in longer delays at some airports.
What is being widely reported are the maximum waiting times, a worst-case scenario experienced by travelers. What is not being reported is how often such maximum waits are occurring, what time of day and whether they impact one, two or all of the terminals at large airport checkpoints. The distinction between wait times at standard lanes versus PreCheck lanes has also been largely overlooked.
Houston George Bush Intercontinental, a hub for United Airlines, was significantly affected, with maximum waiting times reported at one point as four hours. This prompted travelers at other airports to expect similarly long waits, which has not been the case.
Safety is also on the minds of some travelers, but this is not an issue, given how the TSA operates security checkpoints.
Officers are trained to follow well-defined security protocols. They are also cross-trained to perform numerous security tasks at and around airport security checkpoints. Every security lane requires a certain number of TSA officers. If there is an insufficient number of officers on duty to operate the required number of security lanes, based on the anticipated number of passengers, then some of the lanes cannot be opened, resulting in long passenger wait times.
If security was in fact being compromised, and security lanes were operating with fewer TSA officers, then wait times would be shorter and security would be weakened. The fact that there are long passenger waiting times at some airports suggests that security standards are not being compromised.
Reports that TSA officers are leaving the TSA in droves mispresents the situation. In 2024, the TSA officer attrition rate was around 8 percent, down from 17 percent just two years prior. The last Senate-approved TSA administrator, David Pekoske, achieved this by raising officer pay and providing a better compensation plan, as well as a more stable employment environment. Given a workforce of around 50,000 officers, the 2024 attrition rate translates into around 330 TSA officers leaving the force monthly on average, which is in line with the numbers being reported since Feb. 14. This implies that TSA officers who do not show up for work are doing it out of practicality to earn some money, not with the intention of permanently ending their employment.
The dedication of our TSA officers should be applauded. They are the unsung heroes of air travel. Without them, our nation’s air system could not function. They are being held hostage by lawmakers who have been unable to find a path forward that serves the needs of the traveling public.
The situation with air travel is not at a crisis stage. It could, however, evolve into one. If 800 or more officers begin to leave the TSA every month, this will signal that the departing TSA officers are gone for good. It takes as much as six months to train a TSA officer, causing a structural shortage of officers that will require months to resolve. Moreover, if the perception of working with the TSA becomes tarnished by on-again, off-again funding, people may look elsewhere to build their careers. This would have long-term implications on recruitment and retention efforts.
Airports can extricate themselves from government funding uncertainty by applying to the TSA Screening Partnership Program and have contractors provide airport screening at their security checkpoints. Airports like San Francisco International and Kansas City International are two of 20 airports that participate, which also means they are immune to the unpredictable chaos that other airports are at risk of.
The current situation is unsustainable. It is, however, not widespread across the more than 400 airports where TSA officers are deployed. Of course, the current situation can be resolved if the TSA is fully funded now, and any time in the future that lawmakers force the government to shut down. If services are considered essential, then paying for such services should also be essential.
Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., is a professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has researched aviation security for over 25 years, contributing to the technical foundations of risk-based security and the design of TSA PreCheck.
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