Philly Airport Security Running Smoothly Despite Shutdown: TSA

PHILADELPHIA — As Transportation Security Administration workers call in sick due to working without pay as the partial federal government shutdown continues, the Philadelphia International Airport has seen minimal effects.

According to the TSA, the rate of workers calling in sick was doubled on Monday compared to the call-in rate on the same day last year.

TSA said 7.5 percent of workers called in sick on Monday, Jan. 21.

However, wait times at PHL were hardly affected.

Per the TSA, national average wait times are 30 minutes for normal screenings and 10 minutes for TSA Precheck screenings.

At PHL Monday, travelers had 16-minute and 4-minute waits, respectively, according to TSA.

TSA said 99.9 percent of travelers waited less than 30 minutes and less than five minutes Monday.

In a press release, TSA said "many employees are reporting that they are not able to report to work due to financial limitations."

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Some airports — such as Newark — experienced longer than usual wait times.

Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport had the longest reported wait time with a 46-minute wait for standard screenings.

TSA officials previously disputed that a massive "sick out" is taking place among security agents as a form of protest at U.S. airports during the shutdown, with one spokesperson challenging what he called "anecdotal" reports that paint an inaccurate picture of workers abandoning their posts.

"TSA data shows approximately a 1 percentage point uptick in call-out rates compared to this time last year," TSA spokesperson Michael Billelo wrote earlier this month as part of a long series of Twitter statements about the shutdown. "This statistic does not comport with the unofficial and anecdotal narrative others have been providing to media outlets."

But for a symbolic glimpse into how the ongoing federal government shutdown is affecting airports around the nation, one needs to look no further than the agency's website.

On Tuesday, the following message could be found on the TSA's online media room: "Please note, due to the lapse in government funding, you may experience a delayed response."

The shutdown was born from a bitter Democrat/Republican budget battle that escalated over the holiday season. President Trump is sticking with his demand for money to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and Democrats, who took control of the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 3, are refusing to give him what he wants.

The shutdown isn't just affecting government workers and their families, many of whom had to pinch pennies over the holiday season due to the lack of a paycheck. It's also throwing a monkey wrench into IRS refunds, SNAP and WIC benefits, school/daycare food programs and immigration courts.

Patch has reached out to the American Federation of Government Employees for more information and will update the story when details are made available.

With reporting by Eric Kiefer

A Transportation Security Administration official works at the entrance to a gate at the Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)