DESPERATE TIMES

Airport Resorts to Begging for Gift Cards to Pay TSA Staff

The plea coming from officials in Denver is the second time in 5 months the airport has asked for help.

Gift cards may soon be the new take-home pay for TSA agents at the Denver International Airport while the partial government shutdown slogs on. Officials at the airport are asking the public for donations of $10 and $20 grocery store and gas cards to help support the agents, who are missing paychecks. Secure lock boxes and collection bins are being set up around the airport for the cause. Though Denver hasn’t seen the same chaotic security lines as in Atlanta, Houston, and New Orleans, the start of spring break is expected to bring a surge of travelers. “Federal employees are working tirelessly to ensure our airport operates efficiently and safely without getting paid,” DIA chief executive Phil Washington said. This all comes as the shutdown, which began February 14th and impacts funding for the Department of Homeland Security, shows few signs of easing. This isn’t the first time Colorado’s busiest airport has gotten creative to support unpaid workers. In November, during the last government shutdown, officials applied for an FAA waiver to use airport revenue to foot the wages of TSA employees. The shutdown ended before the plan went any further. This time around, the gift card campaign will go on until funding resumes, according to officials.