Long airport lines ease at IAH, effects still lingering from earlier disruptions

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Another day of long lines at Houston airports brought fewer headaches Wednesday, though travelers were still feeling the effects of earlier disruptions.

RELATED: Houston's Bush Airport among hardest hit with TSA call-outs

Crying children and weary passengers filled terminals at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, but wait times were significantly shorter than earlier in the week.

"I think it could be worse," traveler Kinza Mohammad said, holding her crying daughter as they prepared to fly to England.

Mohammad said she expected delays after checking wait times the day before.

"We were kind of expecting it," she said. "We thought the lines were going to be longer."

Security waits stretched to about 90 minutes on Wednesday, which was a sharp improvement from the four-hour delays reported earlier in the week.

Those long lines were largely blamed on staffing shortages after a high number of TSA agents called out sick.

According to data obtained by ABC News, more than 11% of TSA agents nationwide were absent from their shifts on Tuesday. In Houston, the impact was more severe: 39% of agents at Bush Intercontinental called out, while Hobby Airport recorded the highest callout rate in the country for the day, at 43%.

Airport officials said lighter travel volume on Wednesday helped ease congestion.

Additional personnel, including CLEAR agents, ICE staff, and airline employees, were also deployed to help direct and assist travelers.

Still, many passengers said they hope conditions return to normal soon.

Paris Moss, who is traveling to Boston, said she's concerned about upcoming plans.

"I need to go to Japan in two or three days, and I'm hoping it isn't like that," Moss said.

"It's unfortunate," another traveler said. "I hope they figure it out sooner rather than later. Otherwise, it's just going to be miserable."