Severe weather and TSA worker shortages leave long security lines at the Atlanta airport

Thousands of people waited nearly two hours to get through security on Monday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport due to severe weather and the ongoing impact of the partial government shutdown.

Eden Marx and Lindsey Lambert thought they'd be with their friends on a beach in the Dominican Republic by Monday afternoon.

"We're here for spring break, we're going to Punta Cana," said Marx, who drove to Atlanta from Tuscaloosa.

But when Marx and her sorority sisters arrived at the Atlanta airport, they found long lines and a canceled flight. Their flight was one of hundreds canceled in Atlanta by the weather during a four-hour ground stop. According to Flight Aware, 1,046 flights were delayed, and 357 were canceled going into or out of the world's busiest airport.

"We booked another flight, and it was the only one going to Punta Cana. So we're going to Canada. And then we're going to Punta Cana," said Marx.

"But we're not going to Canada until tomorrow at 6 a.m.," said Lambert.

Adding to the frustration for travelers: the partial government shutdown. Thirty-one days on, TSA workers missed their first full paycheck on Friday.

"To be quite frank, officers are pissed off," said Aaron Barker, the local president for  the American Federation of Government Employees.

Barker says an entire security checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson closed because not enough TSA officers came in to work.

"They have reasons for not showing up, whether it's I can't put gas in my car, I have to take care of my children, I had to pay my light bill so my lights won't get cut off, so that took away from the funds, those are the reasons the officers aren't showing up," said Barker. "Many are coping with eviction notices, vehicle repossessions, empty refrigerators, and overdrawn bank accounts."

The airport is asking travelers to arrive earlier than they usually would and to be patient.

"At first it was really stressful, but now there's nothing you can do about it, so you just have to go with the flow and hope it all works out," said Marx.

"The public has been really nice," said Barker.