ISC West travel meets TSA reality

ISC West is just days away, and tens of thousands of security professionals are preparing to descend on Las Vegas for the biggest industry event of the year. I’m one of them - or at least I’m supposed to be.

But as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers across the country work without pay and staffing shortages worsen, the reliability of air travel itself is suddenly in question.

When airport security becomes unpredictable, even a routine cross‑country trip feels anything but routine.

It’s a trip I’ve made the last four years since taking over as editor of Security Systems News. Normally, the biggest variables are weather, flight delays, or how early I need to leave for the airport.

This year, there’s a different - and far more troubling - question hanging over the trip: Will there even be enough TSA officers at the airport to get me through security?

That’s not hyperbole. It’s a question many travelers are now asking as TSA officers across the country work without pay amid the ongoing Department of Homeland Security funding lapse. Last week, TSA employees missed their first full paycheck, receiving $0 while still being required to report to work.

According to a CBS News report, unscheduled absences among frontline TSA officers have more than doubled since the shutdown began in mid‑February. More than 300 TSA employees have already quit, and call‑out rates at some airports have climbed into double‑digit percentages.

Internal TSA statistics obtained by CBS News also revealed that at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) - which yours truly is flying out of to get to Las Vegas - TSA officers have averaged a 21% absence rate, the highest among major U.S. airports.

For anyone departing from JFK - or nearby LaGuardia or Newark Liberty - that’s not an abstract statistic. It translates into longer lines, closed checkpoints, missed flights, and a growing sense of uncertainty about whether the system can keep up.

As spring break travel ramps up, security lines have already stretched for hours at major hubs in Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Austin, according to the Wall Street Journal. And this is happening before one of the busiest weeks of the year for Las Vegas.

To be fair, reports out of Harry Reid International Airport suggest TSA officers there have largely continued to show up despite missing paychecks, helping keep wait times relatively manageable so far. Local union leaders credit that to dedication and community support - but even they warn it’s not sustainable if the shutdown drags on.

Union representatives have cautioned that staffing levels could deteriorate quickly without a resolution, especially as financial pressure builds on a workforce that, by necessity, is still expected to show up.

That’s the uneasy backdrop as ISC West approaches, with attendees traveling from airports already experiencing staffing shortages, long security lines, and mounting operational strain.

There’s an uncomfortable irony here. ISC West is the premier event for an industry built on risk mitigation, resilience, and preparedness. Yet the basic act of getting there now feels fragile.

TSA officers are essential workers. They screen millions of passengers daily and serve on the front lines of aviation security, even during a shutdown that requires them to work without pay. While back pay may eventually come, it doesn’t help cover rent, childcare, gas, or groceries in the meantime. As financial pressure mounts, call‑outs rise. That’s not politics - it’s reality.

From a traveler’s perspective, the immediate advice is familiar: arrive earlier, expect delays, and build in buffers. From a security industry perspective, the implications run deeper.

When staffing shortages slow screening operations, pressure builds - on travelers, on officers who do show up, and on the system as a whole. That’s not just a customer experience issue; it’s an operational and security concern.

As someone who covers this industry year‑round, I can’t help but ask: What message does it send when the people responsible for securing our airports are asked to do so without being paid? And what happens if “essential” eventually becomes “unsustainable”?

I’m still planning to get on that plane to Las Vegas next week. But for the first time in a long time, the biggest question isn’t what gate I’ll depart from - it’s whether airport security will be adequately staffed when I get there.

And that’s not a question anyone in this industry should be comfortable ignoring.