Odor at air traffic center halts flights at BWI, DC airports amid shutdown travel chaos

An odor at the air traffic control center overseeing D.C.-area airspace Friday night triggered ground stops at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and others in the region — the latest disruption for travelers facing massive security lines amid the government shutdown.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it had temporarily stopped traffic at BWI, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Dulles International Airport, Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport and Richmond International Airport because of a strong smell at the Potomac TRACON, the Virginia-based regional air traffic facility.

Ground stops at BWI and Dulles were lifted after 8 p.m., but departure delays at Reagan remain through the evening, according to the FAA.

FAA spokesperson Kristen Alsop said controllers were coming back to work and normal flight operations should return to normal soon.

Jonathan Dean, a spokesperson for BWI, said the ground stop was a safety measure implemented by the FAA and encouraged travelers to check with their airlines for updates.

“Some lasting flight delays can be expected this evening,” Dean said in an email. “We appreciate our passengers for their continued patience.”

This is the second time in recent weeks there was a ground stop at the regional airports due to an odor. An odor at the joint air traffic control center triggered an hourslong ground stop that halted flights at BWI, Reagan and Dulles on March 13.

This latest disruption at the airports comes as travelers flying from BWI waited in security lines that stretched outside all day Friday. Many followed guidance to arrive at least three hours ahead of their flights but still encountered massive lines.

Airports nationwide are facing disruptions due to a partial government shutdown. More than 500 Transportation Security Administration workers have quit, and thousands are calling out as they miss paychecks, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The nationwide callout rate for Thursday was nearly 12%, according to the department, the highest during the shutdown. At BWI, 37% of TSA workers called out Thursday, a jump from 29% earlier in the week. Airports in Houston and Atlanta saw callout rates over 40% Thursday, according to DHS.

Senators early Friday approved Homeland Security funds that would pay TSA agents, but the deal did not include immigration enforcement operations at the heart of the budget impasse. That was a factor in House Republicans rejecting the measure Friday afternoon and considering an alternative.

President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order to pay TSA workers. In a post on social media, DHS officials said workers should receive a payment as early as Monday.

Spring break and long lines

More than 30,000 passengers departed from BWI on both Thursday and Friday, Dean said. It was the highest number of departing passengers this year.

TSA security checkpoints B and C were “very busy” Friday morning, Dean said.

Passengers arrived as early as 3 a.m. for morning flights, waiting almost two hours to make it through security. At 6:30 a.m., one security line snaked out the doors and down the sidewalk to where departure drop-offs begin before doubling back several hundred feet to the Southwest Airlines check-in counter.

A man in a Southwest-branded polo passed out Oreo cookies and graham crackers from a rolling cart.

“Snacks from our flight that nobody’s ever going to get on,” a woman remarked to a companion with a laugh.

Chris Perry, a spokesperson for Southwest, said the airline is assisting customers with waivers to change travel and accepting checked bags “well in advance” of scheduled flights.

“We haven’t seen any significant issues with our operation,” Perry said. “But we will inevitably miss a few customers along the way due to the extreme times.”

Ryan McGehee, who arrived at the airport around 5:40 a.m., had to reschedule his flight twice as he stood at the end of the sidewalk. He waited in line for about two hours and 25 minutes, eventually settling on a 10:35 a.m. flight.

He criticized the government shutdown and the impact it’s had on TSA workers.

“TSA employees have been showing up to work, unpaid, to try and keep the airports running on time,” he said in a text message.

World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit headed by chef José Andrés that provides food to communities in crisis all over the world, said in a post on social media that it helped deliver free meals from Miss Shirley’s to TSA agents at BWI.

On Thursday, BWI saw similar long lines in the morning. Airport officials warned on social media that long lines were expected throughout the weekend as people travel for spring break and would likely continue well into the evening.

By 2:50 p.m. Friday, security checkpoints A and B were closed at BWI, leading to long wait times at Concourse C. Security checkpoints D and E were less impacted, officials said on social media. Airport officials advised travelers to arrive three hours early.

Nina and Bryant Duncan were on the way to Jamaica on Friday morning to celebrate a 40th birthday and their 10th wedding anniversary. Confused about varying wait time reports online, they erred on the safe side and arrived at the airport more than three hours before their flight.

It was the right call. The security line was far out the door, and TSA PreCheck was closed.

“I’m calm. He’s freaking out,” Nina Duncan said.

Over the following hours, Bryant Duncan repeatedly checked his phone for updates from traveling companions who had arrived about 30 minutes earlier.

“I’m trying to put myself at ease,” he said. “But I’m looking at lines and nerves are shooting back up.”

He peered down a hallway. The line stretched out of sight.

“That’s crazy,” he said.

Banner reporter Emily Opilo contributed to this article.