Over spring break, I traveled to New York City during a TSA shutdown, stepping into an air travel experience marked by long lines, uncertainty, and rapidly changing conditions. With reports of delays and confusion circulating online, navigating the airport required more planning than usual. From researching wait times to finding ways around the worst of the security backup, I quickly learned that preparation made all the difference. Here is how I navigated it.
- Pack for Success
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The smoother you can make your time at TSA, the better. Make sure you are not bringing anything prohibited, and double-check that all your liquids are within the allowed limits.
I’ve heard aerosol deodorants can get you in trouble—from a friend, of course, certainly not from my own mortifying experience of my Girl Scout cookie deodorant being loudly announced and then promptly discarded.
If you need anything hand-checked, like film (if you’re a nerd like me), have it set aside before you even get in line. The less digging through your bag you have to do, the faster you will get through—and the fewer people stuck behind you will hate you.
- Research Your Airports
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Going into my trip, I knew my small local airport, Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), would probably be the easier of the two trips I’d be making. I checked Reddit threads, Facebook groups, and local news articles every day to stay up to date on the TSA situation at both airports I’d be dealing with.
Usually, you can rely on the TSA app for live updates, but during this government shutdown period, those numbers reflected average pre-shutdown wait times rather than what was actually happening.
My local airport is normally a no-wait, walk-straight-to-the-gate kind of place, but I still ended up in line for about twenty minutes, which matched what I had seen in my research. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), on the other hand, I knew would be a disaster. Because of that, I stayed on top of any news about that airport so I could plan my taxi and arrival time accordingly.
- Use Your Resources
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As a college student, I do not have the budget or time to purchase or arrange TSA PreCheck. However, I discovered that many major airports offer CLEAR, which has a two-month free trial!
I began enrollment online at my RSW gate, completed enrollment at the EWR airport kiosk, and benefited from a significantly shorter wait. Instead of spending two hours in the TSA line, I waited about thirty minutes in the CLEAR line.
@clear via Instagram - ICE
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While writing this article, a new and, honestly, concerning development has emerged. While TSA workers continue operating without pay, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been present in airports under the stated purpose of assisting with operations.
Wait times, however, have not significantly improved.
I feel I can’t write an article on navigating TSA without acknowledging this added factor.
My biggest advice here is to use your own judgment about whether you feel safe flying, if you have the luxury of making that decision. Stay alert, know your rights, keep your phone charged, and let someone know your travel plans before you go.
Traveling during a TSA shutdown made one thing clear: getting through the airport smoothly depended heavily on preparation. While travelers can’t control staffing issues, policy changes, or unexpected delays, they can take steps to make the process more manageable. Researching airport conditions, packing carefully, and using available resources helped reduce stress and avoid some of the worst disruptions. In a situation blanketed by uncertainty, being informed was the most useful tool I had. Hopefully it’s useful to you as well!