ROMULUS, Mich. (WXYZ) — As lawmakers on Capitol Hill remain in a stalemate regarding funding for Homeland Security, TSA employees are working without pay, causing unpredictable security lines at airports across the country.
I went to Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus to check in with travelers and get insight from travel experts on the shutdown and TSA operations. Lines have not been too bad at Metro Airport, but travel experts say that could change depending on how long the shutdown lasts.
Watch Tiarra Braddock's video report below:
Okemos resident Christine Sermak was traveling to Paris, France, with her daughter.
"I was expecting that it would be lines out the door anywhere from three to four hours," Sermak said.
She arrived at Metro Airport three and a half hours before her flight in case she was met with long lines at TSA.
"Everything you see on Facebook and everywhere else, it’s just showing the long lines," Sermak said. "I 'd rather be safe than sorry."
Julian Kheel, founder of Points Path, says arriving to the airport early is always a smart move.
"The biggest problem with what’s happening right now with the TSA is the unpredictability." Kheel said. "You might show up at the airport and get through in five minutes or you could end up in a line that’s multiple hours."
I also spoke to Katie Minardi, whose family was coming back home to Windsor from a one-week vacation in Nassau, Bahamas. She says her family chose to travel during the week instead of the weekend to avoid the long lines.
"Doing the week day was a lot better and we got here early and we just kind of prepared for it," Minardi said.
David Fishman, CEO of Royal Oak-based Cadillac Travel Group, says as spring break travel ramps up and the longer agents go without pay, Metro Airport could see longer lines.
"A lot of Southeastern Michigan, Spring break is the first week of April. And this year, Easter is falling on their first week of April, so we have the perfect storm shall we say," Fishman said.
Fishman added that the reason some airports are seeing longer lines depends on if TSA employees show up to work.
"As we know, this is the second shutdown, so some of them finally said you know what, I need to find another job, I need to put food on my table, I need to take care of my family," Fishman said.
Now all eyes are on Capitol Hill to see when lawmakers will end this stalemate.
—————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
