TSA closes Bush Airport security checkpoint due to government shutdown-linked 'staffing issues'

Passengers line up for security screening in Terminal C at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019, in Houston. The impact of the ongoing government shutdown forced closure of a security checkpoint to Terminal B due to low staffing. Passengers had to be screened at Terminal C and take a train to Terminal B for their flights. Houston Airport System spokesman Bill Begley said “staffing issues” for the decision Transportation Security Administration made at 3:30 p.m. to close the checkpoint for the day. less Passengers line up for security screening in Terminal C at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019, in Houston. The impact of the ongoing government shutdown forced closure of a security ... more Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close TSA closes Bush Airport security checkpoint due to government shutdown-linked 'staffing issues' 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

A security checkpoint to Terminal B remains closed at Bush Intercontinental Airport on Monday morning because of low staffing associated with the government shutdown.

Houston Airport System spokesman Bill Begley said “staffing issues” prompted the decision made by the Transportation Security Administration at 3:30 p.m. Sunday to close the checkpoint through Monday morning, at the earliest.

As of 10 a.m., the checkpoint was still closed, according to airport officials.

The lobby to the shuttered checkpoint emptied soon after the closure, with luggage-toting travelers being funneled through Terminals C and E to reach their Terminal B flights. The wait time at the remaining checkpoints ranged from an estimated 10 to a sluggish 24 minutes as of 8:30 p.m.

Airport officials pitched a sign along John F. Kennedy Boulevard to warn approaching travelers of the closure, while police blocked the departure ramp to Terminal B with their cars.

A TSA spokesperson addressed the closure amid the federal shutdown that has left cash-strapped government workers without pay checks.

“We are aware of the situation at Houston Bush Airport,” the official said in a text message. “As TSA has stated previously, airports in certain locations will begin exercising consolidation options during peak periods. These decisions will be made at the local level.”

The official later said “key stakeholders” decided that the checkpoint would remain closed even as it was scheduled to re-open 4:30 a.m. Monday, the 24th day of the shutdown. The official did not say when the checkpoint could reopen.

The continuous closure makes it “easier for (TSA workers) to stage their equipment overnight at Terminal C to begin daily operations, rather than have everything staged at B for normal operations,” the official explained.

At HoustonChronicle.com: Federal employees in Houston squeezed as payday comes without paycheck

The no-show TSA workers are among an estimated 30,000 federal employees in the Houston area, all of whom have been furloughed or required to work without pay amid President Trump’s demands for $5 billion to build a wall along the Mexican border. The dispute has blocked the passage of government funding bills.

In the meantime, federal employees have little choice but to show up to work if they are deemed essential, as TSA agents are.

The TSA recorded a nationwide rate of unscheduled absences at 7.7 percent Sunday morning, up from 3.2 percent a year ago, the agency said. It screened 1.6 million passengers nationwide on Saturday, with 99.9 percent of those travelers waiting less than 30 minutes and about 94 percent waiting less than 15 minutes.

Over the weekend, TSA officials at Miami International Airport were first to close a security checkpoint to Concourse G — also because of absent workers — with plans to reopen it Monday.

Mayor Sylvester Turner used the closure to remind travelers to always arrive two hours before flights.

“Shortage of TSA workers, unpaid during the US gov’t shutdown, is causing this change,” Turner said.

A ticketing counter at the Terminal B lobby for United Airlines was closed as well, Begley said.

In a statement, United Airlines said it is working closely with TSA, the Houston Airport System and other relevant agencies “ to ensure our customers get to their destinations safely.”

Erin Douglas and Brett Coomer contributed to this report.

Andrea.Leinfelder@chron.com

Nicole.Hensley@chron.com