Travelers Rest at Houston Airport, Miss Flights Due to TSA Crisis Leaving Many Stranded

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Passengers at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport are facing unprecedented airport turmoil in US history as a lack of TSA staff, resulting from the government shutdown, has led to security lines that last for hours. One passenger was unable to board her flight after enduring an eight-hour wait and had to sleep at the airport. The CEO of United Airlines, Scott Kirby, has publicly called on Congress to address the funding deadlock. More than 300 TSA personnel have resigned across the nation, with Houston reporting 44 incidents of staffing shortages during the shutdown — the highest number in the country.

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00:00A traveler from Boston just wanted to get home. Instead, she waited six to eight hours in a Houston

00:06airport security line, missed her flight, and spent the night sleeping on an airport floor.

00:11The next day, she got back in line and tried again. She is not alone. Across George Bush

00:17Intercontinental Airport in Houston, travelers described scenes they said they had never seen

00:22in their entire lives. Lines running underground through tunnels, up staircases, across terminals,

00:28and out onto the street. TSA checkpoints running with just two officers. Travelers said,

00:35this is the first time I have experienced something like this in my entire life.

00:39Another simply said, this is insane. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby spoke directly to

00:46Congress on national television, calling the situation unconscionable and urging lawmakers

00:51to get a deal done immediately. Over 300 TSA officers have already quit.

00:56The second missed paycheck has now arrived, and the human cost of this shutdown is playing

01:01out, one missed flight at a time, in airports across America.

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