This Friday, TSA officers across the United States will go without a paycheck for the first time since the partial federal government shutdown hit the Department of Homeland Security.
With TSA officer call-outs now hitting double-digit percentages at some airports, and reports that 300 officers have already quit the agency since the start of the shutdown in mid-February, Denver International Airport is desperate to avoid its own TSA staffing crisis.
The airport, a major hub for both United Airlines and Southwest, is now calling on passengers to dig into their own pockets and donate grocery and gas station gift cards to help struggling TSA officers continue working while they wait for lawmakers to settle the funding dispute.
“Once again, DEN’s federal employees are working tirelessly to ensure our airport operates efficiently and safely without getting paid,” explained airport chief executive Phil Washington on Wednesday.
“TSA employees just missed their first paycheck, and as we enter a busy Spring Break travel period, we want to do what we can to ease the stress of this moment,” Washington added.
“That’s why we are calling on the public, our passengers, and other airport employees to donate grocery store and gas gift cards to help make this moment a little more bearable for these federal workers.”
Washington suggested passengers stop off at popular stores like King Soopers, Safeway, Walmart, Costco, and Target to pick up gift cards in $10 and $10 denominations that can be dropped off at dedicated collection bins dotted around the airport.
Over the weekend, the TSA staffing crisis became all too apparent at several airports, most notably Houston Hobby, where wait times to clear the security checkpoints reached 3 hours, and the airport advised passengers to arrive as much as 5 hours ahead of the scheduled departure time.
The massive lines at Houston Hobby were the result of 53% of officers assigned to work on March 8 calling out, while 47% called out on March 9.
Other airports that are struggling with significant call-out rates include Atlanta Hartsfield, New Orleans, and New York JFK.
The Trump administration has laid the blame for the shutdown on Democratic lawmakers, accusing them of holding passengers hostage in order to secure changes to ICE policies.
Other airports and airlines have also been stepping in to help unpaid TSA officers, including setting up food banks, although what Denver International Airport is doing is believed to be the first time that an airport has directly asked passengers to make donations.
