At the Airport at 2:30 a.m., It Had Already Begun. I Watched Our National Failure Unfold in Real Time.

"At 2:30 a.m., the line was already forming at Terminal 4 of JFK Airport, which services roughly 74,000 travelers a day. People stood in clusters with their luggage, chatting, sitting on the floor, scrolling on their phones, and even sleeping as they waited to enter a terminal that wouldn't open until 4 a.m."

"The TSA line had already wrapped around itself four times hours before anyone had even begun moving. Hundreds of screeners have quit, and many of those still on the job were working without pay, prompting unusually high callout rates and thinning already-stretched staffing levels."

"This is among the busiest travel seasons of the year, with travelers like Alyx headed to Puerto Rico for spring break. These conditions have produced the longest TSA wait times in the agency's history, with JFK emerging as a flash point in the current disaster."

JFK Airport is experiencing record TSA wait times, exacerbated by a staffing crisis and high travel demand. The Department of Homeland Security is in a funding impasse, leading to many TSA screeners quitting and others working without pay. Travelers are arriving hours early to avoid long lines, resulting in clusters of people waiting before the terminal even opens. This situation has sparked frustration among travelers, with social media flooded with complaints and images of the chaos at the airport.

Read at Slate Magazine