News

Bellingham, Sea-Tac airports elude nationwide delays amid TSA troubles

Bellingham, Sea-Tac airports elude nationwide delays amid TSA troubles

Photo: Saga Communications/Dave Walker


BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Our local airports are avoiding the delays seen across the country amid the ongoing partial government shutdown.

Hundreds of TSA workers have quit after the shutdown left them without pay, which has caused long security lines at many U.S. airports.

But travelers at two of our closest airports in Bellingham and Seattle aren’t having that problem.

Port of Bellingham spokesperson Mike Hogan tells My Bellingham Now that Bellingham International Airport hasn’t seen any increase in wait times or any staffing problems amid the shutdown.

And Sea-Tac said in a statement that wait times have also stayed the same at 10-15 minutes to get through security checkpoints.

The Seattle Times reports that the airport has been using staff from a private security firm to take over posts from lost TSA workers that don’t require specialized training.

Federal lawmakers are still working on a plan to fund Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA.

Recent Headlines

2 days ago in Sports

Duke freshman forward Cameron Boozer named The Associated Press men’s national player of the year

Cameron Boozer was at the center of everything for Duke this season. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward proved tough enough to score through...

3 days ago in Local Sports, Northwest Sports, Professional, Sports

Schlittler, Goldschmidt, Rice lead Yankees to 5-3 win over Mariners

Schlittler and Tuesday starter Max Fried have yet to give up a run this season

3 days ago in Entertainment, Sports

Men’s NCAA tournament averaging 10.3 million viewers, its most-watched since 1993

The men's NCAA tournament is averaging 10.3 million viewers through the Elite Eight, according to Nielsen. That is the tournament's best audience since...

4 days ago in Local Sports, Northwest Sports, Professional, Sports

Loss to Oilers leaves Kraken grasping for playoff spot

Seattle limps home after losing 6 of their last 7 games

4 days ago in Local Sports, Northwest Sports, Professional, Sports

Max Fried shines as Yankees shut out Mariners

Josh Naylor snaps his 0-20 hitless streak in a bright spot for Seattle