NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) — There will be more headaches for travelers on Saturday as long TSA lines continue to impact airports across the country and the Tri-State area.
Over 121 million Americans are expected to fly over the next couple of weeks as spring break begins for many students and their families.
Earlier on Saturday morning, it was about a 30-minute wait at Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport to get through the TSA security checkpoint line.
The wait times can vary wildly between airports and even between terminals. In airports across the Tri-State, delays generally haven’t stretched beyond an hour, but in other airports, it’s been over two hours.
The travel chaos comes amid the ongoing, partial government shutdown. TSA agents are not getting paid, with some starting to call out sick, resulting in significant impacts to staffing levels.
Travelers tell Eyewitness News they are giving themselves enough time to make their flights.
“I was kind of concerned about it, but for the most part, I think I’m going to be okay. Hopefully, yeah,” one woman said.
“So, actually I’m coming from Costa Rica, so I just landed and I’m getting on another flight. So, I didn’t budget that much time, but to go to Costa Rica, I think we got here like 4 to 5 hours early. Yeah, like we just missed the cut off. So, we got on line right before the big buildup started.”
Travel experts in the meantime are encouraging people to budget extra time as airports work through staffing shortages. This includes checking airport websites, which have real-time trackers on current delays. Travelers can also call ahead to check the status of their flights.
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