March 23, 2026, 11:51 a.m. ET
- A partial federal government shutdown is causing long airport security lines across the U.S.
- The shutdown coincides with a record-breaking spring break travel period, further straining the TSA.
- Despite national trends, officials at Orlando International Airport do not expect major delays.
Despite travelers across the country continuing to encounter unusually long airport security lines as a partial federal government shutdown strains the Transportation Security Administration, officials at the Orlando Aviation Authority say they don’t expect long delays at Orlando International Airport.
Some travelers around the country have experienced security lines spilling out into baggage claim or even the parking lots. Over the weekend, a deadly crash between a fire truck and a plane in New York on Sunday night continues to close LaGuardia airport, further impacting TSA wait times.
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) previous funding agreement lapsed on Friday, Feb. 13, as Congress failed to reach a new funding agreement in time. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TSA. Roughly 50,000 TSA officers are continuing to work without regular pay during the funding lapse.
Another contributing factor to long lines is that the partial shutdown is intersecting with spring break. According to USA TODAY, a record-breaking spring travel period is expected, with 171 million passengers expected to fly, up 4% over the same two-month period last year.
“Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) and other Transportation Security Administration (TSA) roles critical to national safety at our nation’s airports are going without pay for the third time in nearly six months,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a release on March 17.
“The undue financial pressure has resulted in increased callouts and agents leaving the force, leading Americans to face at some airports more than three-hour security lines and miss flights.”
Here are the current wait times for TSA at Florida’s major airports, as of 8 a.m. Monday, March 23.
A statement on its website states, “TSA PreCheck and Global Entry are both active, and the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority does not anticipate major disruptions to operations. We remain committed to the best in traveler safety and security and are working closely with our federal partners, who are critical to air travel.”
MCO’s website lists the following wait times for travelers:
- Gates 1 through 59: 35 – 39 min
- Gate 70 through 129: 15 – 18 min
- Gate C230 through C249: 5 – 8 min
MIA’s website lists the following wait times for travelers:
- Checkpoint 1:
- General: N/A
- TSA-PRE: 11 minutes
- Checkpoint 2:
- General: 14 minutes
- Priority: 5 minutes
- TSA-PRE: Closed
- Checkpoint 3:
- General: 12 minutes
- Priority: 0 minutes
- Checkpoint 4:
- General: Closed
- Priority: 0 minutes
- Checkpoint 5:
- General: 16 minutes
- Priority: Closed
- TSA-PRE: 4 minutes
- Clear: 4 minutes
- Checkpoint 6:
- General: 6 minutes
- Priority: 6 minutes
- Checkpoint 7:
- General: 3 minutes
- Priority: 3 minutes
- Checkpoint 8:
- General: 19 minutes
- Priority: 9 minutes
- TSA-PRE: 5 minutes
- Clear: 5 minutes
- Checkpoint 9:
- General: 12 minutes
- Priority: 12 minutes
- Clear: 12 minutes
- Checkpoint 10:
- General: 3 minutes
- Priority: Closed
- Checkpoint FIS:
- General: 4 minutes
- TSA-PRE: Closed
According to Flight Queue, security wait times at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport average 24 minutes.
Check-in typically takes 45 minutes, and immigration processing averages 11 minutes. TSA PreCheck lanes average approximately 12 minutes.
All of its terminals are open, as of 4 a.m. To see hours, check here.
On its website, TPA features the current message, “While TPA is currently experiencing high passenger volume due to spring break, our TSA security checkpoints are not seeing any significant delays or backups. As always, passengers should arrive 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 hours for international travel.”
According to Flight Queue, security wait times at Tampa International Airport currently average 8 minutes.
Check-in typically takes 46 minutes, and immigration processing averages 12 minutes. TSA PreCheck lanes average approximately 4 minutes.
According to Flight Queue, security wait times at Southwest Florida International Airport currently average 2 minutes.
Check-in typically takes 46 minutes, and immigration processing averages 12 minutes. TSA PreCheck lanes average approximately 1 minute.
According to its website, the security wait times at Jacksonville International Airport are:
- Standard: 5 minutes
- TSA-Pre Check: 2 minutes
- Premier/Special Needs/Military in Uniform: 3 minutes
Missed your airport? See list of all Florida airports
Is TSA still operating during the government shutdown?
Yes; however, the roughly 50,000 TSA employees deemed essential have been working without full pay since the funding lapse began on Feb. 14. They did receive a partial paycheck on Friday, March 13.
The Federal Aviation Administration is still fully funded during this partial shutdown.
Is there a way to see current TSA wait times? Find Florida airports’ TSA wait times
Although many airports across the U.S. are seeing hours-long lines at TSA checkpoints, Florida airports haven’t been affected as much as those in other states. And wait times are shorter for travelers with TSA PreCheck and for families or military members using dedicated lines where available.
Need to know when to be at the airport? Here are some ways to monitor TSA lines in real time:
- Airport websites: Many official airports post checkpoint updates so you can see how it’s going today.
- The MyTSA mobile app: The TSA’s free app provides estimated wait times for many U.S. airports based on TSA data and traveler reports, along with other TSA information.
- 3rd party sites: There are unofficial websites, such as fly.com, takeofftimer.com, flightqueue.com and tsawaittimes.com that provide estimated wait times, but you should double-check official sources for the most up-to-date information.
Contributing: Zach Wichter, USA TODAY
Samantha Neely is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, theme parks, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
