Lines were 30 to 45 minutes long at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport early Thursday morning amid the partial federal shutdown, as travel for the busy holiday weekend begins.
The Transportation Security Administration has had staffing shortages amid the shutdown, as some TSA officers struggle with financial difficulties. Hartsfield-Jackson general manager John Selden said 70,000 passengers are expected at security checkpoints at the Atlanta airport Thursday, and that number is expected to ramp up to 75,000 on Friday.
Lines stretched down hallways and queues were winding through baggage claim early Thursday morning, but wait times shortened by mid-morning as the early morning rush ended.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
After two-hour long lines on Monday, Selden said TSA brought in 20 officers from other cities to Atlanta to help staff checkpoints at the world's busiest airport.
But early Thursday morning as travel picked back up, passengers were directed to queues winding through baggage claim to get to the Terminal South security checkpoint, which backed up down the hallway to the terminal atrium food court.
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