US: Airport wait times stabilise even as Houston shuts lanes

Wait times at airport security lanes across the country appeared to stabilise Tuesday in spite of high absenteeism by security officers left unpaid during the partial government shutdown and the continued closure of a checkpoint at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental. None of the nation’s busiest airports reported prolonged wait times above 25 minutes on Tuesday, in contrast to Monday when six airports exceeded those delays, according to the TSA’s most recent data. The absentee rate also fell slightly. TSA officers were absent at a rate of 6.1% Tuesday, almost twice as high as the rate on the same day a year ago, the agency said. On Monday, the rate was 6.8%. The security checkpoint and public areas where passengers get boarding passes in Houston’s Terminal B were shut Wednesday for the fourth day in a row, the airport said on its Twitter feed. The airport urged passengers to arrive early, but no flights were affected because passengers could access Terminal B gates through other airport entrances. The TSA’s struggles during the partial shutdown -- which has blocked funding for more than a dozen US departments and agencies -- have been among the most high profile. In recent days, the TSA was forced to close screening lanes at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson and Virginia’s Washington Dulles airports. Neither airport reported disruptions Wednesday.<br/>