TSA says sick-out calls nearly triple

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Nearly three times as many TSA workers were off of the job on Monday compared to the same day a year ago, according to figures released by the government.

The TSA says there was a national rate of 6.8 percent of unscheduled absences compared to a 2.5 percent rate one year ago on the same day.

The says despite the worker shortage 99.1 percent of passengers waited less than 30 minutes to go through security checkpoints at airports.  Nationwide, TSA said it screened 1.89 million passengers on Monday.

But the agency did admit that some airports saw very long wait times. The worst was Atlanta where security waits hit 88 minutes.  Dallas saw 41 minutes and several others saw times approaching 30 minutes.

TSA, airport authorities and airlines continue to work closely to ensure resources are optimized, efforts to consolidate operations are actively managed, and screening lanes are properly staffed, according to a news release.

Some airports are exercising contingency plans that ensure and maintain effective security due to call-outs and anticipated high-volume.

Federal authorities warn travelers to allow enough time to get through the airport and board their flight. 

Due to security concerns, specific airport call-out information is generally not available to the public according to agency.