Houston Intercontinental Airport probably has the worst TSA lines in the country – beyond even Atlanta and New Orleans – as screeners call out in record numbers during the partial government shutdown.
They’re being asked to work for deferred pay, but many prefer to seek immediate income with temporary jobs to pay rent and groceries. We’ve seen over 50% of screeners fail to come to work while rates have hovered around 10% nationally, versus 2% on a normal day.
United Airlines hubs at Houston IAH, and their top customers have a workaround for 3-4 hour lines. While the airport reports there’s no TSA screening in terminal C, there actually is.
This is what it looks like IAH in Houston with TSA lines consistently around 4 hours long. The lines stretch down multiple levels to the basement where the airports subway system is, then loops around outside and back in the terminal.
“This is unconscionable, Congress should be… pic.twitter.com/qPK1O7idN9
— Brooke Taylor (@Brooketaylortv) March 24, 2026
A checkpoint often used for for families with small children and passengers with mobility needs has been opened for 1K and Global Services customers and local passengers are losing their minds.
Reports are that rules on access to the line have been applied inconsistently. Some passengers say it’s been for 1K and Global Services only, while others note that some other passengers have gotten in (such as international business class). United has expressly invited those elite passengers, though:
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Houston Airports expressly said TSA was operating only in Terminals A and E, and PreCheck and CLEAR were closed. They said United passengers should check bags at C and then go to E for screening because of staffing shortages. Top elites were privately told ‘C is wide open for you.’
Interestingly, while reaction to broader media has been hostile, on Reddit comments are more pro-United. While the forum is often an epicenter of rage, r/unitedairlines draws customers with status.
- premium customers buy time-saving perks all the time
- many 1Ks are road warriors so the ‘rich people’ framing is off (actual rich people might fly private, while these are middle managers)
- it makes sense for United to mitigate its losses with its best customers given how badly this situation hurts them
Special security treatment isn’t novel. Airlines sell premium access and include it with status. There are special security lines for business class international passengers and for top status customers all the time, with it’s a Global Services lobby, Delta One fast track or ConciergeKey escort to the front of the line.
In fact, United offered this in terminal C before the government shutdown, it isn’t advertised to the general public, and in some sense they just did not stop.
Nonetheless it’s a bad look, especially for a government-mandated process and where that checkpoint is ‘usually’ for disabled and family access, though government processes often come with priority… for politicians, and for those who pay more. The State Department charges extra to process a passport faster. The line is also being misreported as available for “most elite passengers.” What do you think?
Some passengers have been able to skip lines with CLEAR Concierge (CLEAR members paying $99 to be escorted) it appears that option has been closed, with passengers reporting reservations have been cancelled. When PreCheck is open, TSA Touchless is a great option because if you’ve signed up through your participating airline you dump out at the front of the PreCheck line and it’s new enough not many are registered yet.
The best solution in Houston seems like just cancelling plans to fly out of that airport, buying a Southwest ticket, and heading over to Houston Hobby where lines haven’t been bad at all.
You might criticize United, TSA or the airport here, but I don’t think it’s reasonable to criticize passengers using these lines. If United tells you “use Terminal C” there’s no obligation to stage a one-person protest by standing in the four-hour line. On the other hand, what do you think about a passenger who isn’t eligible under United’s criteria bluffing their way in?
I’m not criticizing United whatsoever. They should absolutely make life better for people that spend $30k plus and fly 54+ segments on their airline annually.
We live in a merit and capitalist based society. Not everyone gets to just own a Mercedes because they want equal treatment.
@Dan there is no way we live in a meritocracy. Just look around at the morons everywhere who are in positions of power (and that is not a political commentary). But, we do live (sadly) in a society where money buys convenience. It sucks, but it is what it is while we decide we’ve had enough of the wealthiest 5% of America getting everything while everyone else is told to eat cake.
“We live in a merit”
Hahahahahahah. Don’t even try with *that* argument.
Still not as nice as the Virgin wing or BA first special check in and security lines at LHR T5.
Small correction. Clear has been$189 for almost 2 years now. Long past when it was only $99.
I have no problem with United offering perks to high status flyers. My question is why do they get to decide who goes through the TSA line? Do they pay TSA extra for extra service? If not they shouldn’t be allowed to dictate who can use the line.
I can envision a situation à la the old Southwest’s Jetway Jesus’s. What is to stop folks from claiming to have a disability they do not have and getting access to the disability line?
@rdover1 – this refers to the concierge add-on
@Total gets it. Bah!
@Dan’s too busy tryin’ to lift himself up by his own bootstraps… just try a lil harder, Dan! We’re rootin’ for ya, bud!!
The $99 Gary mentioned is not a typo. It’s for the Clear Concierge service to get through the airport with assistance. Clear is now $209, but the smart people know that even without status you can pay only $199 instead with any level of a partner frequent flyer membership (Delta, United, Alaska) or non-top rank elite or credit card holder is $169. Free for top elites of those three
What’s interesting about this is that DL closed D1 security at JFK (or were told they had to). Wonder how UA making this work and where. Does Polaris have a jump the line queue at ISH like they do in ORD?
The only reason this matters is because we all pay to use the TSA through ticketing fees. I may be a HVC to UA (and DL) but we’re all paying the same fee to use TSA unless we bought up to pre-check or Clear. If UA is paying for the cost of creating this new line I have no objection. If they are taking resources away from the many to serve the interests of a few I’m not okay with it.
FWIW, I will say this is why I love having a home airport with concourses not connected behind security (FLL, excluding T3-4 connector). Security lines there have been reasonable since the shut down.
Lastly, a hats off to the TSA for their very professional (and generally polite) behavior through all of this. Working without pay is one of the most stressful things people can deal with.
@ Gary — “Beyond even ATL”?? Cleared security in 15 minutes today in ATL. Media always picks the worst case scenario to show the world.
Agree with Gene that the media shows worst case. Day before yesterday we made it from car to beer via PreCheck in 25 min at EWR terminal B. BTW service in Alaska F to SAN was great. John (former TWA) showed that professionalism isn’t dead yet.
Unfortunately, this debacle will cause a sizable increase in folks enrolling in Clear (since Pre-Check has been rendered worthless) and will drive the price up another $100 or so. Until Delta decides to close the Clear lanes at the domestic terminal in Atlanta (like last week).
United should not be able to restrict access to a TSA scanning station. It’s too much of an advantage over other airlines.
And as ADA was meant to facilitate normal access not special privilege, everyone should be allowed to use that line.
I doubt ticketing fees cover all of TSA costs or else they could be paid.
Every state requires workers to be paid at least every 2 weeks Or employer faces a big fine. At minimum the Government slaves (oops, essential workers) delayed paychecks should be receiving credit card interest rates (like 25%) plus a fee for being late. Just like all your bills if you don’t pay.
And prohibit special treatment for Congress. Make the rulers mingle with their subjects.
I’ve been monitoring my home airport. The only time regular (not precheck) time are over 20 minutes is a one-hour morning rush at 35 minutes. So, of course no media shows up there.
By the way, I just checked online. They only show terminal A and E for TSa with wait times of 210 and 180 minutes. Yicks!
Seems like the best scenario to have AA Flagship First check-in (sadly it’s not available in IAH)
The airlines and the government are making temporary concessions for the people who keep the airlines profitable. Frequent travelers, who purchase first class seats and leverage other services like credit cards from the airlines are what the industry runs on. Even Southwest is having to change its model.
It’s a sink or swim life, either get with the program, get hired by a company that gives a S* fly United + GS = Win
Life is all about choice, some winners then lots of people on the sideline spend more time complaining about it than doing something about it.
Back when TSA was first set up, it was understood that since all passengers paid identical security fees (that is, paid the same amounts for TSA salaries and ops, which moreover are government activities subject to non-discrimination laws and principles), all passengers should enjoy the same access to TSA screening, and like many others I just walked up via whichever line was shortest.
The airlines acknowledged but deeply hated that because they wanted to sell priority access, so they got the FAA to rule that airports (in cahoots with airlines) could use their own guards to segregate security lines upstream of the TSA boarding-pass check, thereby separating the trogs from the cloud dwellers and punishing the former for their poverty.
Many of us are still angered by this. PFC’s and security fees are still flat taxes, costing poor passengers exactly as much per segment/trip as they do rich passengers (okay, not rich enough to fly private, but having big enough credit-card bills that airlines care about them). Those flat taxes/fees are given to government entities which then use the money to set up queues and pay guards to make sure rich passengers get short lines *at the expense* of poor passengers forced to languish in long lines. The system would be less unjust if “premium” class passengers paid more for airport and security services in addition to whatever they pay for tickets, but they don’t.
However, this new special screening post in IAH Terminal C abuses even that system, because the TSA screeners in Terminal C are NOT working for all passengers, albeit behind a filter of segregated slow and fast lines. There is no general (slow) line in Terminal C. So the TSA should not assign any screening staff to Terminal C unless there is a line there for all passengers (even if one or more “priority” lines are also there). The TSA should assign all screeners only to checkpoints with general access, to process the highest number of people efficiently. If even a single screener is idle for a single minute in Terminal C waiting for a “priority” passenger to appear, that means that screener should be reassigned instantly to another terminal.
Oops, local news showed up at the airport during the hour (7-8am) when the lines are always the longest to get images for their story. Except for a few places like IAH, the media love to hype the lines.