Handful of American airports using private security contractors instead of federal Transportation Security Administration agents are maintaining wait times under 10 minutes while TSA-staffed airports face historically long queues, reports The New York Times travel correspondent Gabe Castro-Root.

San Francisco International Airport, Kansas City International and Sarasota International participate in Screening Partnership Program allowing airports to employ private screeners rather than TSA agents. These contracted officers continue receiving salaries during government shutdown while nearly 50 thousand TSA agents work without paychecks for over 40 days.

Castro-Root reports that Doug Yakel, San Francisco International spokesman, confirmed contracted security officers screened more than 20 lakh passengers in last 30 days while keeping average peak wait times under 10 minutes. Kansas City International also maintained similar performance with peaks no more than 30 minutes, according to Jackson Overstreet, city aviation department spokesman.

Sarasota International screened nearly 3 lakh passengers over last 30 days, with average wait time in standard security lane just over three minutes. TSA PreCheck lane averaged less than two minutes.

“It’s a huge difference right now. We are fully staffed, all checkpoints are fully operational, and we're seeing no impact from this government shutdown”, Paul Hoback, Sarasota International chief executive, told The New York Times.

Private security contractors receive same training as TSA agents, with handful of on-site TSA managers overseeing operations. Contractors employed by private companies paid upfront by TSA continue receiving salaries during shutdown.

TSA acting administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill said at congressional hearing on March 25 that nation’s airports were experiencing ‘highest wait times in history’. Absence rates of TSA agents have soared to more than 40% at some airports from pre-shutdown rates of 4%. Nearly 500 agents have quit since shutdown began, according to agency.

Trump administration deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to staff security checkpoints at airports with particularly long lines this week.

Jordan Stubbs, 36, arrived at San Francisco International more than three hours ahead of her flight to San Antonio last weekend expecting chaos. “I’m surprised at how it’s not busy. I expected it to be super crowded”, she told Castro-Root.

Stefan Luedtke, 20-year-old Tulane University student, applauded airport for programme participation. “It makes me proud of the city”, he said.

Programme was created in 2004 when aviation officials expected airport security would eventually return to private sector after September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. San Francisco joined in 2005.

Airports using contracted security are not nation’s busiest. San Francisco International has about 3,600 scheduled departures over next week compared with 4,200 at Kennedy Airport in New York and nearly 7,800 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to tracking site Flightradar24.

Elaine Clark, 75, at Sarasota International praised efficiency, noting private contractors ‘might be a little more accommodating than TSA’.

Whether partial shutdown will drive more airports to join private-security programme remains unclear, Castro-Root reports.