{"id":10222,"date":"2026-03-16T23:52:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T23:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/?p=10222"},"modified":"2026-03-17T14:10:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T14:10:42","slug":"tsa-shutdown-at-major-airports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/tsa-shutdown-at-major-airports\/","title":{"rendered":"TSA Shutdown at Major Airports: What You Need to Know Now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AdobeStock_328695684.jpg\" alt=\"tsa shutdown at major airports\" class=\"wp-image-10224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AdobeStock_328695684.jpg 850w, https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AdobeStock_328695684-340x220.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AdobeStock_328695684-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AdobeStock_328695684-150x97.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re flying in the coming weeks, you may want to plan for a little extra time at the airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recent federal funding issues have begun to impact parts of the aviation system, particularly security staffing at airports. While flights are still operating normally, travelers in several major cities are reporting longer-than-usual lines at security checkpoints and TSA shutdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For anyone heading out on a golf trip, vacation, or business travel, a little preparation can help make the airport experience much smoother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what travelers should know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Security Lines May Be Longer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Security checkpoints at U.S. airports are operated by the Transportation Security Administration, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During periods when federal funding lapses, many aviation workers\u2014including TSA officers\u2014continue working but face operational disruptions that can affect staffing levels. When fewer officers are available to staff security lanes, wait times can increase at busy airports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With spring travel demand already climbing, the result can be longer and less predictable security lines at certain airports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It\u2019s the TSA Hunger Games at many airports across the country. Austin is particularly bad with 2+ hour lines, UNLESS you know these hacks.<br><br>1) Never settle for a long line. There are multiple entry points and sometimes Clear \/ Precheck can be long. I got through Touchless TSA\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zjtJssqr6S\">pic.twitter.com\/zjtJssqr6S<\/a><\/p>&mdash; The Points Guy (@thepointsguy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/thepointsguy\/status\/2033591020554699025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">March 16, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Airports Seeing Longer Wait Times<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Travelers have reported longer security waits at several major U.S. airports in recent days, particularly during peak travel hours. Among the airports seeing some of the biggest slowdowns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>William P. Hobby Airport<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Charlotte Douglas International Airport<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>George Bush Intercontinental Airport<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Other large hubs like John F. Kennedy International Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport have also experienced occasional delays depending on staffing and travel volume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key challenge for travelers is unpredictability\u2014security wait times may vary significantly throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Golf Travelers Feel It Even More<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For golfers traveling with their clubs, longer airport lines can make travel days even more complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Golf bags typically count as oversized luggage, which means additional time spent checking bags and navigating crowded terminals. When security lines are already longer than usual, managing bulky gear can add another layer of stress to the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s one reason many golfers choose to ship their clubs and luggage ahead of time with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ShipSticks<\/a>. Sending clubs directly to your destination allows you to travel lighter and move through the airport more easily\u2014especially when airports are busier than normal. Plus, you get to skip baggage claim after landing and head straight to your destination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Travel Tips for Flying Right Now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re flying soon, a few small adjustments can help make the experience smoother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Arrive earlier than usual. Allow extra time for security screening.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check wait times before leaving for the airport. Many airports provide real-time security wait estimates online.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use expedited screening if you have it. Programs like TSA PreCheck can help reduce time spent in security lines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ship bulky gear ahead of time. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shipping golf clubs<\/a> ahead lets you skip oversized baggage lines and travel through the airport more comfortably.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Air travel remains fully operational, but staffing fluctuations and increased travel demand are leading to longer security lines at some airports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Travelers who plan ahead\u2014arriving early, packing strategically, and simplifying what they bring to the airport\u2014can avoid most of the stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And when your clubs are already waiting at your destination, it\u2019s one less thing to worry about on travel day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re flying in the coming weeks, you may want to plan for a little extra time at the airport. Recent federal funding issues have begun to impact parts of the aviation system, particularly security staffing at airports. While flights are still operating normally, travelers in several major cities are reporting longer-than-usual lines at security&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":10224,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10222"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10232,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10222\/revisions\/10232"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}