2 Sky Harbor security checkpoints closed due to TSA staffing shortages

PHOENIX — Half of the security checkpoints at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s busiest terminal were closed Friday morning due to staffing shortages, officials said.

An airport spokesperson said Checkpoints B and D in Terminal 4 were closed because of to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staffing issues.

There was no estimate for how long TSA staffing shortages would affect operations at the state’s largest airport in the midst of the busy spring travel season.

Checkpoints A and C remained open, but travelers should anticipate longer wait times. The Sky Harbor website shows the current wait times. Passengers can access all of Terminal 4’s gates from any of its checkpoints.

Terminal 3, Sky Harbor’s only other terminal, has a single security checkpoint that remains operational.

Airport officials are advising travelers to arrive at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights to ensure there is enough time to check bags, pass through security checkpoints and find gates.

Why are there TSA staffing issues at Sky Harbor, other airports?

Airports across the nation have been dealing with security checkpoint staffing shortages during the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which includes TSA.

Experts have said it’s hard to predict where the lines will be the longest at any given time because much of the problem stems from TSA personnel not showing up for their shifts.

The roughly 50,000 federal workers who screen passengers and bags have been working without pay while lawmakers fight over DHS funding.

DHS has said at least 376 TSA agents have quit since the current shutdown began on Feb. 14. About 10% of TSA officers nationwide missed work each day between Monday and Wednesday, the department reported Thursday. The agency’s employees saw their first income-free paydays last weekend.

Sky Harbor opened a donation center to support federal employees working without pay.

Democrats are refusing to approve full DHS funding without Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy reforms. Republicans, meanwhile, have been pushing to fully fund the department and the agencies under it on a short-term basis, allowing more time for negotiations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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