Updated on: March 17, 2026 / 9:11 PM EDT / CBS/AP
Air travelers faced hundreds of flight cancellations and thousands of delays on Tuesday after powerful storms swept the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard. The disruptions were compounded by reduced staffing at often-jammed TSA checkpoints amid a partial government shutdown that began Feb. 14.
The shutdown — affecting the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Transportation Security Administration — has held up paychecks for TSA employees as Congress deadlocked over immigration issues. More than 300 TSA staffers have quit since the shutdown began, and call-out rates have more than doubled, according to data obtained by CBS News. Monday showed the highest call-out rates so far, followed by Sunday and Saturday.
At some major airports, over one-third of TSA staffers called out Monday: 35% in Houston, 37% in Atlanta, nearly 39% in New Orleans and 30% at New York’s JFK. Philadelphia International Airport announced additional security checkpoints will close starting Wednesday as the shutdown continues.
Airports were also crowded with spring break travelers and March Madness fans. Flight-tracking site FlightAware reported more than 1,100 U.S. flights canceled and over 8,200 delayed as of Tuesday night. Disruptions were most severe at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, with more than 200 flights canceled and more than 500 delayed. On Monday alone, FlightAware logged about 600 cancellations at Chicago O’Hare, more than 470 at Atlanta and over 450 at New York’s LaGuardia.
Peak security wait times Tuesday reached 120 minutes in Atlanta, 103 minutes in Houston, and about an hour in Austin and at Chicago O’Hare. The FAA cited severe weather when ordering ground stops at Hartsfield-Jackson and Charlotte Douglas and ground delays at JFK and Newark Liberty.
Travelers described long, uncomfortable waits and expensive detours. Kelly Price, returning to Colorado from Orlando, said her Sunday night flight wasn’t canceled until early Monday and the only place to sleep was the airport floor. Danielle Cash, stranded in St. Louis after a girls’ trip to Las Vegas, said she’s spending several hundred dollars more than planned on a hotel and will route through Tennessee to reach Tampa. In Atlanta, Mel Stewart and his wife arrived four hours early to allow for longer TSA lines.
TSA union leaders warned of increasingly long waits as the shutdown drags on but said many officers are still reporting to work despite financial strain. “Many TSA workers are coping with eviction notices, vehicle repossessions, empty refrigerators and overdrawn bank accounts,” said Aaron Barker, a local leader with the American Federation of Government Employees. Supporters held signs reading, “We want a paycheck, not a rain check.”
Some airports have advised travelers to arrive earlier than usual. Louis Armstrong International in New Orleans urged passengers to come at least three hours early. Austin’s airport shared video of a security line spilling onto the sidewalk early Monday.
Democrats in Congress have said they won’t vote to fund Homeland Security until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations. It is the third shutdown in less than a year to leave TSA workers temporarily without pay; employees will receive back pay once the government reopens.
Kris Van Cleave and Mark Strassmann contributed to this report.