The conservative think tank Competitive Enterprise Institute posted that the partial government shutdown woes “show why it is time to privatize TSA.”

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been the backdrop for some of the worst scenes of the ongoing government shutdown’s toll on the nation’s airports.

“It handles more passengers than any other facility in the world. But it wasn’t designed for what we’re experiencing," Atlanta airport General Manager Ricky Smith said.

At about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, employees estimated standard wait times were about 2 1/2 hours. Some travelers breezed through checkpoints today with no wait at all.

As early as 5:30 a.m. Monday, an airport employee estimated it could take travelers at least four hours to get through TSA checkpoints.

As spring break travel ramps up, Hartsfield-Jackson expects nearly 350,000 people to pass through Atlanta airport security checkpoints from Thursday through Sunday.

The world’s busiest airport has many corridors and corners to explore.

TSA staffing shortages have driven hourslong wait times at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and other airports around the country.

Here’s a rundown of why the flight cancellations and disruptions in Atlanta have continued for days, and what travelers should know to navigate the hassles.

“Everything was going great in the first couple months of the year, then a war breaks out,” said Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian.