Executive pay order brings relief to TSA but U.S. airports still warn of multi-hour security lines

Washington, D.C. – The spring-break crush collided head-on with the 45-day Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding lapse this weekend, leaving business and leisure travellers in limbo despite President Trump’s emergency order directing immediate back-pay for Transportation Security Administration officers. The Friday evening executive order authorised DHS to tap reserve accounts so that some 55,000 frontline TSA employees could be paid as early as Monday. Union officials told AP, however, that nearly 500 screeners have already quit since the shutdown began on 14 February, and many more remain uncertain they will actually see full wages this week. Airports from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson to Baltimore-Washington International advised passengers on Sunday to arrive **three to four hours** before departure, with LaGuardia posting real-time wait times exceeding 120 minutes for standard screening. ICE agents deployed last week to bolster understaffed checkpoints are now expected to remain in place for at least another week, according to White House border-security coordinator Tom Homan. For corporate travel managers the timing is brutal: end-of-quarter roadshows, major trade shows in Las Vegas and Houston, and Easter week family travel are all driving volumes up 18 % above the February baseline, while throughput per lane has fallen about 35 % at the hardest-hit airports. Several Fortune 500 mobility directors told The Global Mobility Brief they have re-routed executives to secondary airports (e.g., using Newark instead of JFK) and authorised premium cabin rail on the Northeast Corridor to bypass air delays altogether. The order offers only a stop-gap. Because TSA salaries normally flow from the broader DHS appropriation, paychecks after the one-time transfer will again be at risk unless Congress funds the department. Airlines for America (A4A) estimates each additional day of prolonged lines costs carriers US$38 million in missed connections, re-accommodations and goodwill credits. If the standoff drags into April, A4A says carriers may trim domestic schedules by up to 6 %.



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Practically, travellers should expect uncertain wait times all week. Experts recommend using PreCheck or CLEAR where available, booking the first flights of the day, and building at least an extra hour into connection windows. Travel managers are also resurrecting 2019-era contingency playbooks, including chartering buses for regional hops under 250 miles and staggering meeting start times. The episode underscores how quickly U.S. business mobility can be upended when security screeners become collateral damage in broader political battles.