CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WKBW) — At the Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Cheektowaga, travelers arriving Monday afternoon told 7 News they encountered long TSA check-in lines at larger airports.
TRAVELERS EXPERIENCING DELAYS AT OTHER AIRPORTS
“So, it is very, very crazy. People are lining up outside the airports,” Anand Sukhlur said.
Travelers arriving at the Buffalo airport said they witnessed long lines weaving through major airports and experienced massive delays.
This is the result of the partial government shutdown, where about 95 percent of TSA employees are working without pay and are calling out.
WATCH: 'It is very, very crazy': Travelers arriving in Buffalo describe delays at bigger airports
“We were in quite the tizzy about what time to get there because we couldn't seem to find any information,” Kathryn McCracken said.
I caught up with McCracken when she arrived home from Fort Lauderdale.
"We had a 5:30 a.m. flight, so you can imagine we got up at 1:30 a.m., and we got there and had to wait," McCracken said. "We got in line, but we had to wait 45 minutes for it to open, so we thought what a waste, but then we looked behind us and said, ‘Oh my gosh, we did the right thing.'"
McCraken said arriving early was worth it because it allowed her and her family to be processed in about 15 minutes.
“And said thank God we didn't take a later flight because we could have been here all day,” McCracken said.
But a Canadian man, who traveled from Atlanta, tells me he wasn't so lucky. He waited in line for six hours, despite getting there early and missed his flight to Buffalo on Sunday morning.
“The boarding was going to close at 9:26 – I reached the gate at 9:30 a.m., four minutes late. I missed my flight," Sukhlur said. "My luggage came in yesterday here, and I arrived today, so to get out of the airport, I started at 1:30 a.m. this morning and I was through the security checkpoint around 730ish.”
Another traveler I met was heading home to Nashville and hadn't experienced any delays, but was worried about an upcoming work trip.
"I have a work trip this weekend where I’m going into Houston, and we're worried because we have about 100 hotel attendees coming in for a conference,” Danielle Derkacz said.
So far, it's been smooth sailing for those heading out of the Buffalo Airport.
“We haven’t had any super long lines,” the NFTA's Kelly Khatib said.
Khatib explained that local TSA employees remain devoted to their work and continue to report to the airport.
“We are very lucky that our TSA agents are here. They’re coming to work. They're getting those lines knocked right out,” Khatib said.
While you might get through the Buffalo airport without an issue, Khatib warns you could face long waits when flying back from a bigger city. She suggests using the TSA app to check for wait times and recommends you arrive one to two hours early.
The NFTA says in response to the public request of how it might be able to help local TSA workers get through without a paycheck, it is conducting a collection drive.
You can provide a gift card for $20 or less and drop it off on Tuesday, March 24, at the “limo” parking lot outside the arrival area of the airport between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
REP. LANGWORTHY SUPPORTS COMPROMISE TO FUND TSA
7 News reporter Michael Wooten spoke with Rep. Langworthy about the partial government shutdown, and Langworthy said he supports a compromise to fund TSA. You can watch the conversation below.
WATCH: Rep. Langworthy supports compromise to fund TSA
CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY'S STATEMENT ON FUNDING FOR TSA
Congressman Timothy Kennedy released the following statement to 7 News when asked about the shutdown:
"Republicans control the White House, the House of Representatives, and the Senate - they own this shutdown. They are the ones who have an obligation to bring it to an end and ensure that vital agencies like FEMA, TSA, and the Coast Guard receive the funding their employees deserve and the American people need. Despite Republican inaction, Democrats are pushing to bring legislation to the House floor that would fund critical DHS agencies that are not participating in unconstitutional, illegal mass deportations and violence in American communities. Donald Trump and his Congressional Republican enablers made this mess, yet they have proven unable and unwilling to clean it up."