OKLAHOMA CITY –As a partial government shutdown beginning in February lingers on, airports across the country are seeing delays and long lines stemming from funding impacts to the Department of Homeland Security.
However, officials at OKC Will Rogers International Airport say lines for air travel out of Oklahoma City have been calm, and the airport is seeing minimal disruptions.
Stacey Hamm, Public Information and Marketing Manager for OKC Will Rogers International Airport, said the Transportation Security Administration office in Oklahoma City is fully staffed.
“Despite the government shutdown, we have not experienced any delays due to long lines at the checkpoint,” Hamm said in response to a News 9 inquiry.
How is the partial shutdown impacting travellers?
Although OKC Will Rogers International Airport may not be experiencing disruptions, travellers in other parts of the country are reporting significant delays in arriving at their destinations. News 9 spoke to Klain Hitt, a woman who recently arrived in Oklahoma City from Houston, Texas, who said she and her husband were faced with several hurdles.
Hitt says the couple waited over four hours to pass through security at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, and only four TSA agents were working at the checkpoint.
David Stanley, another man traveling out of Oklahoma City, says he anticipates flight disruptions at larger airports, and says OKC Will Rogers International Airport’s smaller size may be lessening the partial shutdown’s impact.
“I’m not really scared it’s going to happen here,” Stanley said. “We have actually pretty good security here and pretty good TSA. I think like Seattle, Portland area, Denver, that’s where you kind of run into the issues.”
What comes next?
Although a new funding proposal for DHS passed through the House of Representatives, it has not cleared the Senate.
In the meantime, TSA is urging travelers to arrive at the airport three hours in advance, compared to the normal two hours, before their flight departs. TSA says an earlier arrival will help compensate for longer lines at the airport.
