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Travelers scramble at NYC area airports due to LaGuardia closure, long TSA security lines
By
Brittany Kriegstein
,
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Liam Quigley
Published Mar 23, 2026
Modified Mar 23, 2026
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Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images
By
Brittany Kriegstein
,
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Liam Quigley
Published Mar 23, 2026
Modified Mar 23, 2026
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Travelers confronted disruptions at airports in the New York City area on Monday as a security staffing shortage from the partial federal government shutdown combined with the closure of LaGuardia after a fatal runway crash.
Videos posted to social media on Monday morning showed massive crowds waiting to go through security at JFK and Newark airports, with some travelers reporting they missed their flights after hours on line. Yet business appeared to be operating as usual by midday in other areas of those airports.
The rolling delays come as many Transportation Security Administration workers are calling out amid the ongoing partial shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which houses TSA, and as President Donald Trump said he is sending immigration agents to airports across the country to help with security backlogs.
The late-Sunday crash at LaGuardia between an Air Canada plane and one of the airport’s emergency response vehicles only made a strained travel situation worse for local fliers. Port Authority officials said two pilots were killed in the collision and dozens of other passengers and crew members were sent to the hospital. Some of the crew and passengers had serious injuries, officials said.
LaGuardia was expected to remain closed at least until 2 p.m. Monday as the investigation into the crash continued. By late morning, a handful of flights at the airport were being scheduled for after 2 p.m. Monday, and more passengers were entering Terminal B to go to their gates.
As of late Monday morning, global flight tracker FlightAware showed nearly 600 flights in and out of LaGuardia canceled on Monday, along with almost 300 flight delays at Newark and JFK.
“Due to the federal funding lapse, security wait times may be significantly longer than normal,” the Port Authority said in a travel advisory Monday. “Wait times are subject to rapid change based on passenger volumes and TSA staffing. For these reasons, wait time reporting has been temporarily suspended. Please allow for significantly more time and check with your airline for the current status of your flight.”
ICE agents at LaGuardia airport Monday, as the federal government deployed the agency to airports nationwide amid TSA shortages and a partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
Ramsey Khalifeh / Gothamist
Anticipating a long wait, Alexandra Allen said she arrived at JFK’s Terminal 4 at 8 a.m. for her 1 p.m. flight to Miami. But instead of spending hours on line, she said she breezed right through security.
“When I showed up to check my bag, there was barely a line,” she said, adding that she panicked after getting notified that her flight, which was supposed to leave from LaGuardia, had been moved to JFK due to the crash. She said a JFK staff member told her she’d gotten lucky, because the airport had been much more crowded earlier in the morning.
Allen said she was traveling with a pilot, who explained that boarding and takeoff at JFK often happens in waves, so it’s even harder to anticipate how many people might be at the airport at any given time.
“I’m just going to hang out in the lounge,” she said in a phone interview.
Eugene Eichelberger, an operations manager visiting New York City from Dublin, said he learned of the LaGuardia crash after he landed at JFK. He said he wouldn't hesitate to fly in or out of New York in the future.
"An airport is a big complex system. I'm sure that mistakes are made,” he said. " But that in no way takes away from the tragedy that we’re going to have to sift through for the next few days."
TikTok and other social media platforms have been flooded with videos from airport travelers in the last several weeks, trying to help others know what to expect and how early to arrive. Those videos continued to capture frustration early Monday — both from those who had experienced long waits and those who showed up early but did not meet significant delays.
ICE agents monitor JFK Airport in Queens on March 23, 2026.
Liam Quigley / Gothamist
Newark Airport also experienced a ground stop Monday morning after its air traffic control tower was temporarily evacuated around 7:30 a.m. because of a burning smell coming from an elevator, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Personnel returned to the tower about an hour later, the agency said, and operations returned to normal.
Gothamist observed multiple federal Homeland Security officers and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents patrolling LaGuardia and JFK terminals on Monday morning in their agency gear. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment about its deployments to New York metro airports.
This is a developing story and has been updated with additional information.
Tagged
airports
jfk airport
laguardia airport
new york city
newark
queens
transportation
tsa
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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