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TSA agents warn of longer wait times during shutdown

Fewer TSA agents and longer lines are expected if the shutdown continues.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Spring break is just around the corner. It’s a time for Minnesotans to escape the winter and fly south for a few days.

It’s an annual tradition here in the land of snow and ice, but unlike most years, there’s now a government shutdown to deal with.

“We’ve had some longer than normal wait times,” TSA spokesman Cliff Van Leuven says.

New data from the TSA shows longer wait times at several airports nationwide.

MSP had the longest wait out of any of them with a peak wait of 46 minutes.

“That peak hit around 5 in the morning Monday and lasted only a few minutes,” Van Leuven says.

The average wait time Monday was nowhere close to that.

“It was about 15 minutes,” Van Leuven says.

Which is still a few minutes longer than usual, he says.

The question now becomes, what will the lines be like over spring break?

“I can’t look into the future, but I can say if your normal routine is to push it to the limit and rely on no line, I don’t know that I’d roll that dice right now,” Van Leuven says.

Besides wait times, TSA agents are also calling in sick more often these days.

Nationwide, one in 10 TSA agents called in sick Monday, that’s nearly three times higher than the normal sick rate.

At MSP they’re seeing an increase in sick calls as well, but Van Leuven says it’s not as bad as the rates we’re seeing nationwide.

“Our officers continue to show up despite not being paid and I am humbled by their dedication,” Van Leuven says.

Some of those agents have been put in a difficult spot financially, now missing two consecutive paychecks during the shutdown.

Despite this hardship, Van Leuven says only five agents at MSP have resigned since the shutdown started.

He says the airport was already short about 30 agents going into the shutdown, but there are still more than 600 agents working the security lines at MSP.

“It’s always a good idea to get to the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight,” Van Leuven says.

TSA employees at MSP have been helping each other out during this hard time. They set up their own food bank to make sure no one goes hungry. 

Credit: KARE

A spokesperson for the TSA employees, Cliff Van Leuven, says morale among workers is good and the public has helped by thanking them for doing their jobs without pay. 

If you need a passport before spring break, the state department is still processing them during the shutdown.

The wait time is between four and six weeks, but you can pay a little extra to get it in two.

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