Travelers at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) faced some of the longest security lines in the nation in late March 2026, with waits stretching up to three hours during peak periods as the ongoing partial government shutdown caused severe TSA staffing shortages and widespread disruptions across U.S. airports.
As of March 29, official LaGuardia Airport reports showed fluctuating and often low displayed wait times — frequently listing general lines at 1-2 minutes and TSA PreCheck with no wait or 1 minute across Terminals A, B and C. However, third-party trackers, passenger reports and news accounts painted a more volatile picture, with standard security waits averaging 10-36 minutes in off-peak hours but spiking to 30-90 minutes or more during morning rushes, and isolated reports of lines exceeding three hours earlier in the week.
