In Transit newsletter: TSA staffing troubles hit region's airports

A good chunk of the airline travel I’ve done over my lifetime has been to attend WrestleMania each year. And while I regret missing Roman Reigns wrestle CM Punk at this year’s Las Vegas-hosted show in April, I don’t regret missing out on wrestling with long security lines at Kennedy Airport to get there.

The federal funding lapse that lasted through the first several months of 2026 caused staffing shortages that made for inordinately long waits at airport security checkpoints — as you may well know if you flew anywhere during that time. Now, a new report is shedding some light on exactly how bad those waits were, and how metropolitan area airports fared compared to other big cities.

Researchers at Upgraded Points, a travel website, analyzed how many passengers passed through TSA checkpoints to measure how major airports were impacted by the funding lapse. While the goal was, in part, to measure the effects of reduced TSA staffing levels due to workers calling out because they weren't getting paid, researchers noted that other factors should be considered, including airline schedules, passenger demand and gaps in data reporting.

Of the three major airports in our area, LaGuardia fared worst, with 15% fewer passengers each day making it through TSA checkpoints between March and May than during the same period last year. That was enough for LaGuardia to rank No. 7 in a list of the most impacted airports.

JFK did a little better, with a 6.3% drop in daily TSA checkpoint throughput during the measured period.

Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma was not included in the report.

Overall, metropolitan area airports saw an 8.1% drop in the number of passengers screened by security per day — less than in some other major metro areas, like Atlanta and Boston. Keri Stooksbury, the author of the report, said that may be because New York's air travel is spread out across several major airports. "That diversity can make the statewide system more resilient when operational disruptions occur," Stooksbury said in an email.

While lines got longer at the two big airports in Queens, they somehow got shorter on the other side of the Hudson, according to the report. Newark Liberty Airport saw a 4.6% increase in the number of travelers checked each day by TSA workers — a testament, researchers said, to “how localized staffing stability helped mitigate the worst effects of the crisis.” While worker call-out rates reached 28.2% at JFK and 25.8% at LaGuardia, Newark was significantly lower at 13.8%, according to the report.

Combined, TSA workers at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark screened 154,222 passengers per day during the funding lapse, compared with 160,605 during the same period last year, according to the report.

With another potential federal government shutdown looming as soon as September, some travelers are already dreading the potential for added wait times at the airport.

Thankfully, I wasn’t planning on going to next year's WrestleMania anyway.

Transportation news

• MacArthur Airport lovers rejoice: Breeze Airways is adding nonstop flights from the Islip airport to Tampa.

• Unfortunately, Newsday’s online fatal crash tracking database got two new entries over the last week. On Wednesday, a driver going the wrong way in Uniondale died after crashing into another vehicle. Three days later, a man died after driving into a utility pole in Roosevelt, seriously injuring three other passengers, including a 9-year-old. 

• Drivers aren’t the only Long Islanders feeling the pinch of high fuel prices. Boaters and marina owners report gas prices at marinas are around $5 a gallon — about 25% higher than last summer.
• The LIRR has made 95% of its stations accessible, but one notable omission is making it harder for Mets fans with disabilities to get to a home game.

Travel watch

• The westbound Long Island Expressway will be closed at Exit 62 (Nicolls Road/County Route 97) on Tuesday and Thursday this week from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., for maintenance.
• Lane closures and detours at Kennedy Airport through Thursday will impact travelers getting to or from there by car. The Port Authority advises customers to add travel time or consider transit, including the AirTrain. The closures are related to the ongoing $19 billion redevelopment of the airport.
• On weekdays through July 24, there is no midday eastbound LIRR service at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens, and only eastbound Port Washington branch trains stop at Woodside. During the same period, westbound Hempstead branch trains are skipping Elmont-UBS Arena, Queens Village and Hollis. The disruptions are related to accessibility work.

• Drivers can expect lane closures on the Robert Moses Causeway and Ocean Parkway during afternoon hours this Friday because of the Babylon Soldier Ride, a cycling event.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.