T.S.A. Lines Shorten as Officers Begin Receiving Back Pay

Shorter waits at checkpoints

Airport security lines across the country appeared to ease on Monday as Transportation Security Administration officers began receiving some back pay under an order President Trump signed on Friday.

Passengers who had braced for a repeat of the previous week’s airport disruptions generally found shorter waits. As of Monday afternoon, security waits were 15 minutes or less at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, while waits at Kennedy Airport in New York were up to about 40 minutes.

Just days earlier, long lines had snaked through terminals and in some cases stretched outside, heightening stress for spring break travelers. Atlanta and all three major New York airports had paused their real-time wait trackers during the worst of the delays, but those trackers were operating again on Monday.

Relief, with uncertainty ahead

The improvement followed the first paychecks in weeks for T.S.A. officers, offering temporary relief at checkpoints that had been strained during the partial government shutdown.

Still, the improvement may not last. With no funding deal in place and no assurance of future paychecks, the long lines could return.

Travelers find calmer conditions

At Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Monday morning, Adam Coleman and Lynn Desrosiers said they were relieved to find no wait at the Southwest check-in kiosk. After hearing about the weekend chaos there, they had arrived with their two children more than four hours before their 4:30 p.m. flight to Orlando, Florida.

“We were running out the door to get here,” said Ms. Desrosiers, 45, as she looked around at the open kiosks and small number of travelers at the security checkpoints. “Looks like we’re going to spend a lot of money on candy, maybe take a few naps.”