TOLEDO (WTOL) - Gridlock in Washington is impacting air travel at some of the nation's busiest airports. This, as TSA screeners are forced to work, only to get paid after the shutdown is over.
“I think it’s deplorable. I feel really sorry for the employees and what they’re going through,” said Springfield Township resident Larry Kowalski about the partial government shutdown in general.
He hopes the stalemate will come to an end in time for his trip to Florida later this month.
“They’re reporting three hours on CBS morning news so I’d have to get there a lot earlier than we usually do,” said Kowalski.
That’s what travel adviser Sarah Rosenberger of Central Travel is recommending as well. She said luckily, she hasn’t heard of any travel trouble for her clients, but it’s best to give plenty of time.
On Monday, there was a 137% increase in sick calls among TSA agents compared to a year ago, leading to closed terminals at several airports.
“Atlanta seems to be the longest right now. They’re at 88 minutes to get through security with TSA. Detroit was like 14 minutes. So that’s like an average wait time,” said Rosenberger.
If you think getting travel insurance could help in case of delays or cancellations, Rosenberger said, likely not.
“We can always apply for it and it’s going to be up to the insurance company about whether they’ll cover it or not, but there’s no, in all of the insurances I’ve seen, there’s no like, ‘government shutdown’ clause as part of it," she said.
Kowalski said while he hopes the shutdown will be over before his flight, “Mostly for the employees, but I can’t complain about going to Florida in the winter.”
