Flyers were smacked with another day of endlessly long security lines at local airports and across the country Friday as Congress continues to fail to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Weary travelers were forced to show up at LaGuardia Airport in Queens hours earlier than even the hefty three-hour mark officials were advising for national flights, as the lines for TSA checkpoints wrapped around the airport like a maze.
“It’s better to be early at the gate a few hours earlier than show up the three hours that they recommended and still not make it through TSA and missing our flight and not making it home,” said Rachel Sweet, who was on her way home to Memphis, Tenn., from a Big Apple business trip.
Sweet and her colleague Tiera Backer, 33, showed up at 9:50 a.m. for their flight, which was scheduled to depart at 2 p.m.
“It’s crazy. I’d hate to come later and miss my flight because I’m stuck in the line,” Backer said.
Jade Primicias arrived at LaGuardia at 10 a.m. for her 2:20 p.m. flight to Denver. Her dance company starts a North America tour Saturday, and she was told by her bosses to be there as early as possible because of potential issues.
“It did feel a little bit excessive getting here this early, but, you know, we had seen the report that the lines could take up to four hours, but it’s better to be safe than sorry,” said the 32-year-old.
A Manhattan woman named Melissa who was headed to Spain from Kennedy Airport in Queens on Thursday told The Post she arrived for her flight 4½ hours early, or up to two hours earlier than usual.
Asked if she had a message for the government, she replied, “Yeah, you can’t print it, and they’d come after me.”
Travelers have faced viral-worthy long lines at airports nationwide as Democrats continue their refusal to fund certain agencies within DHS over their fight to get immigration reforms.
TSA agents have lost out on paychecks and are calling out sick or quitting the job completely thanks to the impasse, fueling the travel nightmare.
