US passengers enraged by hours-long lines and missed flights: ‘Absolutely insane’ | Trump administration
Travel plans for travelers across the US have been disrupted by the latest Department of Homeland Security shutdown; This led to widespread staff shortages at airports, with security workers going without pay for weeks.
Boston-based passenger John Hildebrandt told the Guardian: “We’re returning to Boston from St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands today and it took three hours to get through US customs. Absolutely crazy.”
“I’ve been traveling for business for the last 30 years and have never encountered inactive queues like the one we just left. We would never have made our flight if it hadn’t been for the rather persistent transport clerk who strongly recommended we leave three and a half hours early to get to the airport.”
Security lines were tightened for hours at major airports across the country due to a recent and ongoing funding impasse over immigration enforcement and reform on Capitol Hill. The shutdown has led to many of the unpaid Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers who fall under DHS increasingly refusing to report for duty or resigning. Nearly 500 TSA officers have resigned since the shutdown began last month.
Despite the Trump administration being under fire for its handling of immigration raids that have led to several ICE murders, including those of Americans Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Donald Trump has deployed ICE agents to airports to assist with security – a move that has become widespread condemnation from both people And MPs.
The impact on travelers was immediate and severe. Travelers across the US told the Guardian they spent hours in security queues, missed flights and struggled to rebook or cancel trips. Some people choose not to travel at all.
“Even without the current chaos, I still get stuck in these lines at major airports,” said Bronwyn Fryer, a 72-year-old writer from Montpelier, Vermont, who canceled a planned trip to California. “The thought of encountering ICE at airports was the nail in the coffin. I feel like we are doomed to a never-ending nightmare under the current administration.”
In Florida, personal assistant Kristin Campos missed her international flight to Costa Rica last week. He said he “got dropped off at Miami international airport and waited four hours in the TSA line and missed my flight.”
For some families, this disruption has come at a huge financial cost. A mother living in Tennessee said she rebooked her daughter’s spring break trip to avoid Atlanta, Georgia.
“It cost our family more than $600 to do this, but I need to make sure he can get back to campus Sunday night. Yesterday and the day before, the news media were reporting security lines in Atlanta for more than five hours; that’s where we planned to drop him off on our way back to Nashville from a visit to the beach in Florida,” he said. “Last night, I rebooked him to fly from Panama City to avoid the TSA security lines in Atlanta. Better yet, the lines in Panama City are reported to be very tight, so he still takes him to the domestic flight.” “We’re planning to leave him three hours early for his flight, which is ridiculous.”
Confusion at smaller airports has increased delays. One Connecticut-based traveler described the situation at the Tweed New Haven airport: “It was chaos and the lines were not orderly or clear as to why we were there. The airport is very small and they are trying to push more passengers through it than they can handle. Add TSA shortages to that recipe and chaos reigns. We will not be traveling by air in the future or until the problems are resolved.”
“This is a crisis entirely produced by the Trump administration. This is a shameless, insensitive policy of an uncaring regime,” the person in question continued.
Another passenger in Texas named John described skipping an airport altogether, initially booking a 7:30 a.m. United flight from Houston’s George Bush intercontinental airport (IAH).
“I woke up at 3 a.m. to get to the airport as soon as possible because of the roads. I arrived and the airport line was no joke, it was endless. The wait was at least five hours. I eventually took Southwest to Houston’s Hobby airport. The other airport’s wait was 0 minutes. This is gross mismanagement and IAH needs to be shut down until it gets fixed,” he said.
Beyond missed flights and long lines, some travelers say the broader economic and political environment also affects their travel decisions. They state that the US and Israel’s ongoing war against Iran in the Middle East is causing gas prices to rise and fueling a global energy crisis.
One Louisiana-based traveler told the Guardian he was rethinking many of the trips he had planned after completing physical therapy.
“Now that I can finally travel amid fuel prices and long lines at airports, if I do travel, places I can drive to will be much closer. Even that travel will likely be disrupted by inflation and the effects on my savings of a jittery stock market since Trump’s war with Iran and its unreasonable threats,” he said.
He continued: “Last month, I suffered a paper loss of about 5% of my savings. I will try to make up for this in the hope that the market will recover, but between rising prices and a falling market, travel is an early loss.”
