Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
Two security checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport run by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration will be closed starting Wednesday, airport officials announced. Airport spokesperson Heather Redfern on Tuesday said the closures were being made at the request of the TSA, which is being affected by the ongoing federal government shutdown. A spokesperson for the TSA could not be reached for comment. The airport said in its announcement on Tuesday that the TSA checkpoints that will close are for Terminal A-West and Terminal F. “The temporary closure of these checkpoints will provide optimal operations at the Terminals A-East, B, C and D/E checkpoints,” the airport said. Redfern said the closed checkpoints are “all within a short distance to the next available checkpoints.” The TSA is advising passengers to arrive at the airport at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights, Redfern said. The airport said that the closures were taking place “in conjunction with PHL’s airline partners” and that airport staff would be on hand to direct passengers to open checkpoints. Operating hours for all checkpoints are available at PHL.org. About 1,700 badged federal employees work at the airport, including air traffic controllers, TSA workers, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees. When the shutdown began Oct. 1, about 800 unpaid TSA officers continued to screen luggage and staff checkpoints at the airport. It was unclear Tuesday how many are still working since the Department of Homeland Security had threatened to furlough any workers, including TSA officers, who did not “report for duty” for jobs that are still mandatory during the shutdown. TSA employees missed their first full paycheck Oct. 24. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Tuesday warned about possible air travel chaos next week if the government shutdown continues and air traffic controllers miss a second paycheck, the Associated Press reported. Air traffic controllers missed their first paycheck last week.
