High wait times at Atlanta airport 9 days before Super Bowl

FILE- In this Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, file photo security lines at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta stretch more than an hour long amid the partial federal shutdown, causing some travelers to miss flights. As the partial government shutdown moves through its fourth week with no end in sight, the economic blow is being felt not only by federal workers but also by business people, households and travelers across the country. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File) FILE- In this Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, file photo security lines at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta stretch more than an hour long amid the partial federal shutdown, causing some travelers to miss flights. As the partial government shutdown moves through its fourth week with no end in sight, the economic blow is being felt not only by federal workers but also by business people, households and travelers across the country. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

By Associated Press January 25, 2019 1 min read

ATLANTA – The world’s busiest airport is experiencing long wait times to get through security just nine days before it expects 150,000 out-of-town visitors for the Super Bowl.

The Transportation Security Administration said in a statement Friday that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had maximum wait times Thursday of 42 minutes, the highest of the nation’s top 42 airports.

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport had the second-longest wait time, of 19 minutes.

Transportation Security Administration workers are screening passengers without pay, and absence rates have soared.

In recent days, TSA has closed security checkpoints at Baltimore/Washington International; Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport; and Miami International Airport.