Travelers at several major U.S. airports faced significantly longer **Transportation Security Administration** (TSA) security lines in mid-March 2026, with wait times reaching up to three hours at some checkpoints. The delays, reported across hubs like Atlanta, Houston and New Orleans, stem from a partial government shutdown affecting federal staffing, compounded by high travel volumes and occasional weather disruptions.
CNN has been tracking real-time TSA wait times at 15 key airports, including Atlanta (ATL), New York (JFK and LaGuardia), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Denver (DEN) and others. As of March 18, 2026, fluctuations were evident: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the nation's busiest, saw main checkpoint waits drop to around 20 minutes by late afternoon Tuesday after peaking at over 90 minutes earlier in the day for international terminals and 30-40 minutes for domestic. Reports from March 17 indicated morning spikes to three hours at ATL.
