- Houston IAH faced ~4-hour TSA lines amid a partial government shutdown; only A and E terminals were open unless you had top-tier United status. - A bystander poured vodka from a Costco bottle into shot cups to boost morale, leveraging the 3.4 oz carry-on alcohol limit. - The scene illustrated emergent micro-economies and norms: paid line-sitters and gift-card donations to screeners, highlighting gift vs market dynamics in chaos.

Man Hands Out Vodka Shots In 4-Hour TSA Line At Houston Airport by Gary Leff on March 29, 2026 We’ve been seeing airport security lines stretch over 3 hours long for three weeks now. At some airports more than half of TSA screeners have called out sick amidst the partial government shutdown, where they’re required to work for deferred pay until funding passes. The administration says screeners will get paid on Monday due to the crisis, even though no Department of Homeland Security appropriation has made it through Congress. In all of the chaos, on man tried to make things a little bit better for passengers at Houston Intercontinental airport on Thursday. With 4-hour TSA lines there, and only A and E terminal security checkpoints open unless you had top tier United MileagePlus status, a man in a bright shirt, sunglasses, and a backpack stood in the line stretching outside holding a large frosted vodka bottle, pouring it into small clear shot cups for everyone waiting in line. This hero was simultaneously boosting morale and getting rid of a bottle he wasn’t going to be able to carry through the checkpoint if he eventually made it to the front, since TSA allows only alcohol up to 3.4 oz in a carry-on. This man at George Bush Intercontinental with his Costco vodka doing God’s work in the security line. Not all heroes wear capes pic.twitter.com/PKJk0FxAXL — Trust Fund Terry (...