Half of the security checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport are now closed, amid an ongoing federal funding impasse that has left Transportation Security Administration officers working without pay.
The TSA temporarily shut down the checkpoints at terminals A-West and F on Wednesday, airport representatives said. The terminal C security station, usually open only for those enrolled in the TSA PreCheck expedited screening program, was shuttered March 12 and remains closed.
Airport officials, in a social media post, said the decision was made “to help optimize operations across other checkpoints.”
Once travelers are past security at PHL, they can access any of the terminals. The airport recommends that individuals flying from A-West use the A-East checkpoint; people heading to Terminal C should go to B; and those leaving from Terminal F should use the D/E checkpoint.
PreCheck lines are available in A-East and D/E. Hours for each of the checkpoints, as well as real-time wait times, are listed at phl.org. PHL advises passengers to arrive two-and-a-half hours early for domestic flights and three-and-a-half hours early for international trips.
Travelers at airports across the country have been facing longer wait times, and a Trump administration official said this week that smaller airports may need to close if the partial government shutdown drags on.
TSA agents are going without pay for the third time in less than six months, due to political disputes between the White House and Congress.
Security officers missed their first full paycheck last week, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where the TSA is housed, has reported a sharp rise in call-outs. More than 360 agents have quit since funding lapsed Feb. 13, according to DHS.
The partial shutdown commenced after Democratic lawmakers insisted on including reforms in any money approved for DHS, which also oversees U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, following the January killings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good in Minneapolis.
