Samantha Brown Reveals Her Secret For Checking Airport Delays Amid The Government Shutdown

Thanks to her decades as a travel TV show host, Samantha Brown is a veritable wealth of travel tips and tricks; Brown's got an inside scoop on how to pick the perfect day trip destination, and she knows the best cliffside retreat in Greece. She also has some suggestions for what to do at the airport in the face of the government shutdown as many passengers are worried about flight delays. On her Instagram page, Brown shared a video telling fans and fellow travelers about what she did before her recent trip to minimize hassle.

It boils down to being as informed as possible by keeping an eye on potential wait times at TSA as well as air traffic control staffing issues. She also recommends making sure that you're signed up to get alerts from your airline so you'll know when they know that there's been a delay or cancellation. Brown started her research a few days before her trip by looking at the security wait times at the airport around the same time of day that she'd be leaving to get an idea of what to expect. Many airport websites include how long the wait times are in their security lines.

Samantha Brown also suggests keeping an eye on the National Airport System Status website, which will give you updates as to the status of the airport itself, including any delays and what they're for, like weather or traffic volume. Brown points out the Air Traffic Control System on the website, and says to look for the "staffing triggers," which let you know if there are short-staffing issues that could lead to delays.

For Brown, she says she decided to add an extra hour to her itinerary to make sure that she wouldn't miss her flight due to any security issues during the shutdown. As she says, "There is no such thing as getting to the airport too early."

Brown reminds us in her video that the TSA agents are working without pay during the government shutdown. There are some government locations that furlough staff during the shutdown, like at national parks, but when it comes to airports, the staff are expected to be there. Air traffic controllers are also not being paid with the government shuttered.