Category Archives for Airports.
A man started handing out vodka shots in a four-hour TSA line at Houston airport. With airport security waits spiraling during the shutdown, passengers stranded in one of the country’s worst lines got an unexpected morale boost from a traveler sharing the bottle he would never make it through the checkpoint with anyway.
President Trump ordered the government to pay TSA screeners even though House Republicans refused to take up a Senate funding bill, and DHS now says officers will get paychecks on Monday. The move may ease the immediate airport staffing crisis after weeks of unpaid work, rising absences, and hundreds of TSA resignations, but it’s also probably illegal – though may not be challenged.
On Friday morning around 8:30–8:45 a.m., March 27, 2026, a U.S. Secret Service special agent assigned to Jill Biden’s protective detail shot himself in the leg at the Philadelphia airport.
Austin is building a six-gate remote terminal on the west side of the airfield, with passengers bused over from the main terminal and only limited concessions inside. City officials say Concourse M is for overflow, diversions, and construction relief, but with the airport already tight on gate space, the bigger question is which airlines may wind up using it for regular flights.
President Trump says he will sign an emergency order to pay TSA screeners immediately during the shutdown, after weeks of insisting Congress had to solve the problem while airport security lines spiraled out of control. The move may ease some of the pressure on travelers, but the legal authority is shaky at best — and may survive less because it is clearly lawful than because almost no one has standing, or the appetite, to sue to stop TSA workers from being paid.
he U.S. government is warning travelers that Hong Kong has changed its national security rules so that even people merely transiting the airport can be compelled to unlock phones, laptops, and other devices — and refusing can now be a criminal offense. That makes Hong Kong International Airport a much riskier connection point for anyone carrying sensitive personal or business data. Beware flying Cathay Pacific.
A drunk driver crashed through a locked gate at Daytona Beach International Airport, got onto the airfield, nearly hit a training aircraft, and then tried more than once to climb into planes before finally being stopped.
United Airlines is quietly routing its top customers around Houston’s four hour TSA lines through a hidden checkpoint, even as the airport tells passengers there is no screening in Terminal C. The lane is normally used for disabled passengers and special assistance.
ICE agents deployed to airports during the government shutdown are now expected to get access behind checkpoints without the SIDA badges normally required for unescorted entry into secure areas. That means bypassing the fingerprinting, background checks, and training airport workers usually need — a move that could weaken the challenge-and-report culture airports rely on to keep secure areas secure.
President Trump has rejected Elon Musk’s offer to cover TSA screener pay during the partial government shutdown, even after the administration reportedly considered the idea. That leaves travelers facing the same worsening airport security lines, with no outside fix coming as absenteeism and political leverage keep the pressure on.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
