TSA agents at airports haven't been paid a dime during the partial government shutdown that's led to a staffing shortage, but everybody around them seems to be making money. The ICE agents deployed to check IDs alongside them and watch exits are still on the payroll. And a new job category has emerged: people paid to stand in security lines for someone else. At Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport on Friday, the Washington Post reports, contractor Steven Dial said he spent his day moving through TSA queues on behalf of several travelers. He charges $65 an hour, plus airport parking.
Nearly 500 officers have resigned during the shutdown, and at some airports more than 40% of staff have called out on certain days, contributing to backups like those seen at Houston and at Baltimore-Washington International, where lines on Friday extended outside the terminal. This creates an opportunity. Robert Samuel, who runs a New York company called Same Ole Line Dudes, said he is quoting $35 an hour for TSA lines, though no one had booked as of Friday. For travelers willing to pay more, there are sanctioned ways around the crowds: Companies such as Perq Soleil and SkySquad sell concierge-style access to alternative security lanes in dozens of airports, with rates running from $79 per group at some locations to hundreds of dollars for expedited guidance through check-in, security, and boarding.
President Trump has signed an order to resume paying TSA agents. But should the backups persist, Wired has a list of 10 suggestions for passing the time in airport lines. They include pondering the science behind designing the perfect system for lining up. Another idea is to contemplate "airport theory," which suggests everyone arrive at airports at the last minute—an argument that was a hit on TikTok and nowhere else. Or take an old-timey challenge and try to solve a Rubik's Cube in eight steps.
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