TSA 'blue flu' causes travel misery at major airports: Passengers stuck in huge lines as agents choose to call out sick rather than work without pay amid the government shutdown as pilots beg Trump to end it for the sake of traveler safety
Daily Mail
January 7, 2019
Hundreds of Transportation Security Administration agents have called out of work within the last week at major airports across the US, causing travel misery for thousands of frustrated passengers.
Massive lines of travelers formed at New York's LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airports over the weekend. Photos showed hundreds of passengers waiting in line at the Delta Airlines terminal at the LaGuardia Airport on Sunday. Wait times were around 90 minutes and TSA Precheck, which usually expedites travel security, was also closed at that checkpoint.
Meanwhile, passengers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Raleigh–Durham International Airport were also feeling the effects of President Donald Trump's partial government shutdown.
The TSA reported an increase in callouts by their agents, who aren't being paid due to the shutdown. TSA agents who have called out are using their sick days rather than work for free.
As many as 170 TSA agents have called out each day within the past week at the JFK airport. At the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, call outs have increased by 200%-300%.
On Sunday, passengers also reported long lines at Utah's Salt Lake City airport, the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and the Bradley International Airport in Connecticut.
Despite reports, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has denied that there were mass call-outs, insisting 'security effectiveness will not be compromised and performance standards will not change'.
Sunday's delays come during the third week of the government shutdown that has left nearly 800,000 federal employees without pay. Trump has continued to stand by his demands for $5billion to fund a border wall.
1 comment:
I think this story is being hyped for the sake of a story.
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