California airports seeing long lines during funding debate

Catching a flight? Expect long lines, depending on the time and airport.

Due to a partial federal government shutdown involving the Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration workers are not being paid, and staffing is a problem. As a result, passengers are having to wait longer than usual to get through security checkpoints at airports across the nation, including California.

U.S. Rep. Darrel Issa, R-San Diego, blames Democrats.

“As a direct result of the Democrat DHS shutdown, American travelers at airports across the country are facing unprecedented wait times of multiple hours,” Issa told The Center Square Tuesday. “This entirely preventable waste and inconvenience, however, is only part of the extreme impact on Transportation Security Officers and reckless endangerment of America’s national security needs.”

Senate Democrats including Alex Padilla of California say TSA agents are not being paid because of Republicans shutting down the government. Democrats note it’s having widespread effects on travelers at major airports across the country.

“When Democrats tried to pass a bill to fund individual agencies like TSA, Republicans blocked it,” Padilla told The Center Square. “I have been clear from the beginning: I’m with the American people in demanding accountability to rein in ICE and CBP’s lawlessness – anything short of that is a nonstarter for me.”

Issa isn’t buying the claims.

“The Democrats know what they’ve done," Issa said. "Now it’s time for them to admit their gambit failed and end their shutdown."

Roxanne Hoge, chair of the LA GOP, agreed. Hoge told The Center Square that “it is shameful to see Democrats prioritizing illegal immigrants and failing to protect the nation over the safety of Americans” here at home.

“Sadly, we've seen Democrats destroy California with their abusive supermajority so this latest move does not surprise us,” Hoge told The Center Square.

U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, did not respond to The Center Square's request for comment.

Regarding the long lines, Kandace Redd, senior public affairs specialist at AAA’s Los Angeles Office, said waiting can be a problem at Los Angeles International Airport.

“The thing to remember is that LAX is considered one of the busiest airports,” Redd told The Center Square. “In fact, there were more than 73,000,000 passengers just last year.”

The screeners at LAX are TSA employees. The same goes for San Diego International Airport.

However, the screeners at San Francisco International Airport work for a private security firm. These employees have continued to be paid during the partial shutdown, and there have been no excessive security checkpoint line waits during this period. That's not to say that people may not have difficulty making a connecting flight at another airport where they may need to go through security again.

Doug Johnson, spokesperson for AAA Northern California, suggested that passengers pack their patience.

“When you miss a flight, that is the responsibility of the passenger, not the airlines, so you will likely be marked as a 'no show,' potentially canceling your entire itinerary,” said Johnson. “So if you are running late, you need to notify the airline immediately.”

Johnson also suggested people get travel insurance.

Meanwhile, Redd recommended passengers track the TSA security wait time online at FlyLAX.com or through the TSA app.

“Things can quickly change, so by the time you check it when you're in your car to by the time you actually get to the airport, it could go from zero to 15 minutes, and really again it all just depends,” Redd said. “One main rule of thumb that we always say is, ‘Get to the airport early.’”

According to Redd, that's at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight.

“Airports are often busiest early in the morning between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. And the busiest travel times are Fridays, weekends, spring break, which we're hitting, and summer vacation,” said Redd. “If you can, travel on Tuesdays or Wednesdays during the weekdays because it's usually less crowded, and flights can even be cheaper.”