Coverage dated March 22, 2026 to March 24, 2026

TSA lines at Houston airport turn into a 3-floor nightmare amid staffing shortage

Headline from CBS News

Out of the five terminals at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, only two had TSA staffing, and wait times could exceed four hours, the airport told travelers​.

CBS News's own description from its feed. We collect headlines and these descriptions, not full articles; read the original reporting below.

Earlier updates in this story

Read the reports

Reports & sources

5 articles, oldest first.

  1. CBS News

    TSA lines at Houston airport turn into a 3-floor nightmare amid staffing shortage (opens CBS News)

    Published

    CBS News's feed description

    Out of the five terminals at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, only two had TSA staffing, and wait times could exceed four hours, the airport told travelers​.

  2. New York Post

    Houston airports are a travel nightmare with nearly 50% of TSA agents calling out — the worst in the US (opens New York Post)

    Published

    New York Post's feed description

    Houston's airports have been pummeled by the government shutdown with three- to four-hour security lines — and the worst TSA absentee rates in the entire country.

  3. NPR

    'It's exhausting': TSA staffing shortage causes long wait times at Houston's airports (opens NPR)

    Published

    NPR's feed description

    For several days, Houston's two commercial airports have experienced the highest TSA agent callouts and some of the longest security check-in lines in the country.

  4. CBS News

    Shock and disbelief at Houston airport as 36% of TSA officers call out of work: "This is insane" (opens CBS News)

    Published

    CBS News's feed description

    "This is the first time I've experienced something like this in my entire life," one traveler said as TSA lines snaked through George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Identical headlines usually mean shared wire copy. They are counted as separate articles but are not independent confirmation.