Security waits top an hour at Atlanta airport amid shutdown

Bloomberg

Some airport security lanes in Atlanta, Washington and Houston were closed as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continued to grapple with more absenteeism during the partial government shutdown.
The TSA will begin relocating airport screening officers “on a national basis to meet staffing shortages that cannot be addressed locally,” the federal agency said in a tweet. The TSA will also join airports and airlines in announcing when security lane closures occur so traveslers can plan accordingly.
Wait times to pass through security were “over an hour” at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International’s main checkpoint for domestic flights, the airport said on its website. Screening times were as much as 45 minutes at the two other domestic-flight checkpoints at the nation’s busiest hub. The airport is adding more “live music at all of our checkpoints to help ease tensions for passengers,” spokeswoman Elise Durham said in an email.
The TSA experienced more than twice the normal rate of security officers calling in sick, agency spokesman Michael Bilello said in a tweet. The rate of 7.6 percent unscheduled absences compared with 3.2 percent on Monday, January 15, 2018, he said.
“Not only will continuing the shutdown increase airport delays and hinder commerce, it could have a negative impact on aviation security if a resolution does not come quickly,” Congressman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat and chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said in a statement.

Southwest’s Hawaii service plan on hold
Bloomberg

Efforts by Southwest Airlines Co to begin flights to Hawaii have fallen victim to the government shutdown.
The carrier has done all it can to secure certification to begin service but can’t move forward without approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for extended flights over water, or ETOPS, the Dallas-based airline said. Southwest set no new timeline for selling tickets or beginning Hawaii flights.
“The groups within the FAA that oversee ETOPS authorisations are furloughed, and our next steps require their direct participation and oversight,” the carrier said.