Between the fairways of Augusta and the sidelines of the NFL, Amanda Balionis has seen it all. But it was a security line at San Diego International Airport that nearly stopped her in her tracks. Heading to Augusta ahead of the 2026 Masters, Balionis found herself staring down a two-hour TSA wait. And in true form, she turned the frustration into a PSA that would help everyone who was watching.

“Hopefully, this is a PSA that isn’t needed for much longer because it’s looking like TSA is going to start getting paid pretty soon. I was seeing reports maybe as soon as tomorrow, but here in San Diego, lines are incredibly long. I’m already a CLEAR member, but if you’re not, I would suggest signing up for CLEAR,” said Balionis. 

The root cause of this PSA is that Balionis came face-to-face with extremely long queues at the airport. Standing at the TSA, people are experiencing wait times up to two hours. This could be a serious issue as there might be important business meetings that can get delayed with such a long queue. 

So, doing her part, Balionis suggested a way out to beat the queue. She asked her followers to sign up for a CLEAR membership. This would enable people to skip most of the identity checks using biometrics and, in turn, speed up the process. She also elaborated on how people from CLEAR will meet their members at the curb while checking the bags and also escorting them through the airport.

“So they let me curbside, helped me check my bags, and then took me to the very front of the CLEAR pre-check line, and it cut my time down from probably two-plus hours to 20 minutes,” added Balionis. 

The TSA staffing crisis she encountered at San Diego International Airport is a national headache. It is triggered by the ongoing partial government shutdown that has left over 50,000 TSA officers working without their usual paychecks since mid-February 2026. As financial strain has mounted, absences among TSA personnel have surged. Airports like Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport were advising travelers to arrive up to five hours before their flights. In major hubs like Atlanta, New York, and Houston, the chaos had become a daily feature.

Balionis found herself standing in the middle of it.

Sharing how easily CLEAR made her board the airplane, Balionis shared a story from inside the plane, saying, “And just like that… we are C Augusta bound!”

She also pointed out how this video was not sponsored and that just a $99 subscription would make life a lot easier. Balionis stated that she hoped the TSA gets paid ‘pretty soon.’ Meanwhile, despite CLEAR taking care of her airport woes, the constant traveling has surely taken a heavy toll.

Amanda Balionis opened up about travel burnout and mental health struggles

Balionis has long been one of the most trusted voices in the golf. But alongside golf, she also started covering the NFL for CBS Sports as a sideline reporter. While she ruled the fairways and the gridiron, the task wasn’t easy for Balionis. She had to constantly manage busy schedules, which took a toll on her mental well-being. Previously, too, she has struggled with mental health issues.

“I had these big plans for an end-of-year recap, and every time I went to go do it, my brain was screaming, ‘I DON’T WANT TO’ 😂” the CBS reporter writes in a reel. The video shows her standing on a beach, enjoying a cup of coffee. “I calculated my 2025 travel for the last 11ish months and realized that it’s okay to be ready to do less for a little bit,” she shared in an Instagram post at the end of December 2025.

She further shared how last year she had to travel 104,119 miles for her work, and it required her to spend 219 hours in the air. Adding to that, she has also spent 19 consecutive weeks on the road covering golf. At the end of the year, Balionis believed she needed the well-deserved rest and shared how she would also look into taking care of her mental health amid her ventures on the greens.