Terminal C closed at Philadelphia International Airport amid TSA worker shortage
TSA shortage forces temporary closure of Terminal C at Philadelphia International Airport
Long lines of frustrated travelers snaked through Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday as the TSA worker shortage forced the closure of Terminal C.
PHILADELPHIA - Long lines of frustrated travelers snaked through Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday after a shortage of TSA workers forced the temporary closure of Terminal C.
What we know:
Philadelphia International Airport Spokesperson Heather Redfern said the airport and TSA decided to close Terminal C on Thursday.
"Due to staffing constraints related to the government shutdown, the TSA, in collaboration with the airport, is temporarily closing the Terminal C checkpoint," Redfern told FOX 29 News. "All other checkpoints are open."
There is no timetable for when Terminal C will reopen.
The backstory:
Agents with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration are expected to work without pay during the ongoing shutdown of the department, which began Feb. 14. Democratic lawmakers have said DHS won’t get funded until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Chris Sununu, president and CEO of Airlines for America, a trade group for U.S. airlines, in a statement urged Congress and the Trump administration to act.
"We are in spring break travel season and expecting record numbers of people to take to the skies. Airlines have done their part to prepare; now Congress and the administration must act with urgency to reach a deal that reopens DHS and ends this shutdown," he said. "America’s transportation security workforce is too important to be used as political leverage."
What they're saying:
Travelers grew frustrated Thursday morning at Philadelphia International Airport, as long lines stacked up due to a terminal closure.
"This is crazy," said one traveler. "We should be prepared for a shutdown like this, this is crazy, people are going to miss their flights."