HOUSTON – The Spring Break travel rush at William P. Hobby Airport is being accompanied by rainy weather and a TSA staffing shortage, leading to hours-long wait times at the security checkpoints on Sunday.
Airport officials are repeating that travelers should arrive early — more so than usual — for their flights and allow extra time for security.
“It needs to be cleaned up because it’s not good. A lot of people are missing flights,” said traveler Trent Petrie, who was headed to Lubbock from Houston.
While some travelers told KPRC 2 they received a text warning them about the long wait times, others said they were caught off guard.
“I’ve been here several times and never once seen this to this level,” said traveler Kevin Houg.
KPRC 2 chief meteorologist Anthony Yanez snapped this picture of the lines at Hobby this morning.
Due to the partial government shutdown over Homeland Security funding, there are fewer TSA employees to cover checkpoint lanes, and services like PreCheck have intermittent services.
Global Entry at Hobby Airport is temporarily suspended, according to officials.
CLEAR lanes are open, but travelers should still anticipate long wait times. Some KPRC 2 viewers tell us they’ve missed their flights and waited upwards of three hours to make it through security. Lines are being funneled through baggage claim.
A KPRC 2 photojournalist at the airport said paramedics arrived after a person passed out while standing in line.
“Houston Airports urges passengers to remain flexible as the government shutdown may impact security operations from one day — and even one shift — to the next,” airport officials said.
Over at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, as of noon on Sunday, security wait times are significantly lower. The longest wait time reported was just shy of 30 minutes, according to Fly2Houston.com.
Check security wait times here:
If you're heading to the airport, plan to arrive early and allow extra time for TSA security. pic.twitter.com/7LhNb5bY1d
— Hobby Airport (@HobbyAirport) March 8, 2026
Lauren Bis, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, blamed the Democrats for the government shutdown.
In a statement on X, she wrote:
“Americans are now enduring the severe fallout from the Democrat shutdown of DHS. Today, travelers are facing TSA lines of up to nearly 3 hours long at some major airports causing missed flights and massive delays during peak travel. This chaos is a direct result of Democrats and their refusal to fund DHS. These political stunts force patriotic TSA officers, who protect our skies from serious threats, to work without pay. These frontline heroes received only partial paychecks earlier this month and now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages. Democrats are shamelessly playing politics with national security, punishing hardworking TSA workers and their families. Enough is enough: stop holding national security and everyday Americans hostage. Democrats must fund DHS now.”
The Houston Airport Director of Aviation released the following statement: