Turns out, TSA PreCheck is not going anywhere

If you spent your morning doom-refreshing travel alerts and wondering whether your speedy airport lane privileges were about to vanish, you can exhale. TSA PreCheck is still very much alive (at least for now) after a whirlwind few hours of confusion yesterday tied to the ongoing partial government shutdown.

On Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security briefly said that the popular trusted traveler programs could be suspended as the agency scrambled to conserve staffing and resources. The announcement sent travel industry insiders into a panic, especially because more than 20 million travelers rely on PreCheck to breeze through airport security with shoes on and laptops tucked away.

But by midday, the Transportation Security Administration clarified its stance, in a reversal that felt like a plot twist. “At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public,” officials shared in a statement.

The agency clarified that it’s consolidating resources while thousands of federal workers, including airport screeners, continue working without pay during the shutdown, which began on Feb. 14. Some perks are getting the axe, though. Courtesy escorts, including those for members of Congress, have been suspended so that officers can focus on core security duties.

Global Entry, however, is another story. DHS confirmed that arrival processing tied to the program has been halted and those officers have been reassigned to standard passport control lines. If you were hoping to zip through customs after an international trip, you can expect a slower welcome home.

Industry leaders are frustrated over the roller-coaster messaging. Geoff Freeman, chief executive of U.S. Travel, said the group was “glad that DHS has decided to keep PreCheck operational and avoid a crisis of its own making,” while Airlines for America told CNBC that abrupt changes, especially during a shutdown, risk turning travelers into “a political football.”

The drama lands at a particularly messy moment for flyers. A major winter storm has bombarded the Northeast, causing airlines to cancel flights by the thousands. Add in shutdown uncertainty, and it’s no surprise that nerves are frayed.

For now, though, PreCheck members can keep striding toward those coveted shorter lines. Just don’t be shocked if the airport vibe feels a little different: fewer special escorts, potentially longer waits elsewhere and the lingering reminder that when Washington stalls, it’s the travel experience that often ends up in the crossfire.