These Airports' Security Wait Times Are Not Impacted By The Government Shutdown
Even if you're adept at spotting the shortest TSA line at the airport, you might be stuck waiting longer than expected if you're headed to the airport anytime soon. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hasn't had approved funding since February 14, and that means that TSA agents are going without pay, per Federal News Network. As this partial government shutdown drags on, more and more TSA agents aren't coming to work. For example, the William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, one of America's best airports, had over 55% of the TSA staff call out on a Saturday in March, via NBC News. With the lack of agents, wait times have skyrocketed to more than an hour at some airports. However, not all airports actually use federal TSA agents for their security. 20 airports across the U.S. use the Screening Partnership Program (SPP), so their wait times aren't impacted by a lapse in funding.
You can see all of the SPP airports on the TSA website. Many of them are on the smaller side, like the Yellowstone Airport in Montana. However, there are some larger airports on the list, like San Francisco International Airport, Kansas City International Airport, and Orlando Sanford International Airport.
It's not that these 20 airports don't have security. Rather, the SPP allows airports to apply for permission from the TSA to use private security companies to do the screening work at the airport. The companies are required to follow all TSA requirements and guidelines.
As the shutdown continues, the SPP airports don't face major issues
Without the need for federal funding for security, these 20 airports can continue operations unchanged when there's a government shutdown. If you already have a flight planned out of an airport that's showing particularly high TSA wait times — and it's close to one of these 20 airports — it could be worth doing a quick search online to see if it's worth changing your flight.
Of course, you might end up being forced to change your flight plans if the DHS funding battle continues. There's even talk that some smaller airports might have to close temporarily as more and more TSA agents call out, according to Reuters. During the last government shutdown, a number of airports had major struggles, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see that repeated.
During this partial shutdown, some major airports have had more than 30% of their TSA staff miss work, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, which is already known for delays.