Mass TSA absences mean flying is a crapshoot right now

Passengers waiting in lines outside the terminal at Houston Hobby Airport on March 8.

Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

• The partial government shutdown means more TSA agents are calling out of work.
• While some airports have long lines on some days, they could be relatively short the next.
• Atlanta Airport reprimanded domestic passengers for trying to bypass lines, causing congestion.

You don't want to be cutting it close on your journey to the airport at the moment.