A Transportation Security Administration employee checks in air travelers at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, in Atlanta.

A Transportation Security Administration employee checks in air travelers at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, in Atlanta. / AP Photo

The world's busiest airport is experiencing long wait times to get through security just nine days before it expects 150,000 out-of-town visitors for the Super Bowl.

The Transportation Security Administration said in a statement Friday that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had maximum wait times Thursday of 42 minutes, the highest of the nation's top 42 airports.

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport had the second-longest wait time, of 19 minutes.

Transportation Security Administration workers are screening passengers without pay, and absence rates have soared.

In recent days, TSA has closed security checkpoints at Baltimore/Washington International; Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport; and Miami International Airport.

Atlanta tourism officials say TSA workers from other cities are expected to volunteer at Atlanta's airport for Super Bowl-related traffic. The Super Bowl is on Feb. 3.

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