This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Emily Calandriello, a 37-year-old resident of New York who was traveling with her husband for vacation to Liberia, Costa Rica, from the John F. Kennedy International Airport on the morning of May 22, 2026. TSA workers have been working without pay due to the partial government shutdown.
The New Jersey Port Authority and JetBlue did not immediately respond to requests for comment. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.
We thought we were doing everything right.
Early on Sunday morning, March 22, my husband and I set out for what was supposed to be our first big trip in almost three years, for our fifth wedding anniversary. We love to travel, but life has gotten in the way lately, so this trip to Costa Rica felt especially meaningful.
We left for the airport at 4 a.m. for our 8:19 a.m. JetBlue flight to Liberia. I had heard TSA lines were backed up, but friends who had traveled recently told me it was manageable — just long. We went in prepared to wait two to three hours, and honestly, we were in good spirits.
We arrived at Terminal 5 around 5 a.m., checked a bag, and went to find the end of the line, which was already wrapped around the inside of the building twice. We looked at each other like, “Ok, I guess we’re just going to hunker down and try to stay calm.” Little did we know we were walking into what felt like a dangerous situation.
A long wait turned into total chaos
At first, things felt manageable. We started chatting with people around us, and a small group of us bonded over the shared experience. Everyone was very friendly and nice, and it helped pass the time.
For about two hours, the line moved steadily. Then it stopped.
Right before the security checkpoint, after about 20 minutes of no movement, people from our group went ahead to see what was going on. That’s when we realized the problem: people were pushing into the line at the front, creating a massive bottleneck.
It quickly became clear that no one was in charge. We asked a JetBlue employee who was organizing the line. They said it was the Port Authority security’s job. When we asked security, they said it was JetBlue’s responsibility. No one of any authority seemed to care at all about organizing the situation, and it felt like a total free-for-all.
As more people began cutting the line, tensions rose. People started shouting: “You’re cutting the line. We’ve been waiting for over two hours.”
By that point, we recognized everyone who had been waiting near us, and suddenly, strangers were pushing in from all directions. A group of about eight to 10 of us tried to hold our place, telling people they needed to go to the back.
Security guards were nearby, but they were basically useless. They just told us to stop yelling at each other, and they looked away.
That’s when things escalated and started to feel dangerous. The crowd compressed into what felt like an angry mob about to stampede. My husband and I were packed so tightly that we got separated.
Then a young woman next to me had a full panic attack. She started crying and screaming, “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.” She was pushed out of the crowd, and a security guard helped her, but her mother was still stuck behind us. I ended up pushing through people to get her mom out so she could reach her.
My heart was just beating so fast, and it felt very scary, like a riot was about to break out. If I had known that this was what we would be putting ourselves through, we would have rescheduled the trip.
A night at the airport
Eventually, we were funneled into the controlled TSA area, but by then, I was in total survival mode.
I kept checking the time. It was clear we were going to miss our flight, but after waiting hours and going through that chaos, turning back didn’t feel like an option. Behind me, the line has already extended to the sidewalks outside the building.
I made it through security about 20 minutes before my husband, and I sprinted to the gate anyway to see if there was any chance we could still board. They said “no, the doors were closed,” so we were rebooked on the same flight the next morning. It was the only option because Liberia has a small airport, and there’s just one flight a day.
We had a choice to leave and come back to face TSA again, or stay overnight. We didn’t want to subject ourselves to that dangerous situation again, so we stayed.
We walked around Terminal 5 until we found a quiet corner. We pushed four chairs together and made a makeshift bed. I bought a toothbrush, a neck pillow, and a blanket, and said, “Alright, this is the setup for the night.”
Our bodies were sore, our brains felt like mush, and we were absolutely exhausted. We napped in short bursts — sometimes on chairs, sometimes on the floor. I wasn’t crazy about it, but you make do when you have no other options.
The next morning
By morning, it was a new day. We didn’t have to go back through security. We made it onto our flight without any issues, we did not have to pay more than the $500 per-person ticket we already paid for, and thankfully, our checked bag made it too.
But the experience of the previous day stuck with me. I’ve experienced some crazy travel stories in my life, but this may be the worst one.
What frustrates me most is that it felt preventable. The management outside the security area was very poorly done. Most people were trying to do the right thing. They were waiting patiently and staying calm. But there’s always a small percentage of people who don’t care.
Now that I’m finally in Costa Rica, I’m enjoying the trip. Our bed-and-breakfast hotel is in the rainforest, and it’s beautiful here. I’m looking forward to wildlife excursions and beaches.
This is such a great change of scenery, considering that for our first day of vacation, we spent it in JFK.
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