AND WELCOME BACK. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. AIRPORTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE CONTINUING TO SEE LONG SECURITY LINES AS THE PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON IN HOUSTON, TRAVELERS THIS MORNING WERE WARNED TO EXPECT WAITS FOR MORE THAN FOUR HOURS AT NEW YORK’S LAGUARDIA AIRPORT. DELAYS GREW EVEN LONGER FOLLOWING THE SHUTDOWN, AND THIS WEEKEND’S FATAL CRASH. WHILE SOME MAY SEE LONG LINES AS ANNOYING, OTHERS MAY SEE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY BOTH FOR THEMSELVES AND FOR OTHERS. WVTM 13 BRYLEE SOCIALLINK SPOKE WITH ONE MAN WHO PLANS TO START A BUSINESS WAITING IN LINE FOR FOLKS AT THE AIRPORT, AND HE MAY NOT BE THE ONLY ONE. MOST OF MY FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK KNOW ME AS A JOKESTER, SO I. YOU KNOW, I MADE IT AS A JOKE. WHAT STARTED AS A SOCIAL MEDIA POST MEANT TO MAKE LIGHT OF A HECTIC SITUATION COULD TURN INTO A BOOMING BUSINESS FOR JIMMY PAYNE. THEY ALSO KNOW ME AS A HUSTLER. PAYNE MADE A POST STATING THAT HE WOULD STAND IN LINE FOR PASSENGERS AS THEY DEAL WITH LONGER THAN USUAL WAITS DURING THE PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. PAYNE SAYS IT WAS MADE TO BE FUNNY, BUT PEOPLE ARE TAKING HIM SERIOUSLY. THEY GOT ATTENTION AND, YOU KNOW, IT MADE ME START THINKING LIKE, HEY, WHAT IF WE DID SOME RESEARCH INTO HOW THIS COULD WORK? WHILE IT ISN’T ILLEGAL TO HOLD SPOTS IN LINE, SOME AIRPORTS HAVE RULES. THE MAIN RISKS ARE CONFRONTATIONS WITH OTHER PASSENGERS AND SECURITY CONCERNS FROM TSA AGENTS. YOU COULD BE MOVED TO THE BACK OF THE LINE OR REMOVED FROM THE AIRPORT AT AN AGENT’S DISCRETION. PAYNE SAYS. IN ALL OF THIS, THE GOAL IS TO MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED. BE PATIENT WITH WITH THE TSA AGENTS THAT ARE WORKING FOR FREE. AND WE REACHED OUT TO AIRPORTS IN ATLANTA, HOUSTON AND BIRMINGHAM TO SEE IF THEY HAVE ANY RULES ABOUT STANDING IN LINE FOR OTHER PEOPLE. BUT WE’VE YET TO HEAR BACK IN BRYCE WVTM 13. AIRPORTS ARE RECOMMENDING THAT YOU ARRIVE AT LEAST 2 TO 3 HOURS BEFORE YOUR FLIGHT BOARDS TO MAKE SURE YOU MAKE YOUR FLIGHT IN BIRMINGHAM.
Baton Rouge man’s social media joke sparks potential business idea
Jimmy Payne’s humorous social media post about standing in line for passengers during the government shutdown is gaining serious attention, prompting him to consider turning it into a business
Updated: 4:56 PM CDT Mar 25, 2026
Jimmy Payne’s social media post, initially intended as a joke about standing in line for passengers during the partial government shutdown, is now being taken seriously, leading him to consider it as a potential business opportunity. Payne, known for his humor, said, “Most of my friends on Facebook know me as a jokester, so I made it as a joke.” Despite the lighthearted nature of the post, Payne is now contemplating the logistics of offering this service. “They also know me as a hustler,” Payne said.Payne’s post suggested he would stand in line for passengers, and he is now considering the logistics of such a service. “It got attention and it made me start thinking like, hey, what if?” Payne said. He is exploring the idea of scheduling appointments for passengers to meet him at specific times to hold their place in line. “I’m going to seriously sit down and think about this. Maybe I could take appointment times, I make an appointment with you, you show up at 8 a.m., 9 a.m. or whatever, then you get in line, but I will seriously sit down and try to work this out,” Payne said.Research into the feasibility of Payne’s idea reveals that while holding spots in line is not illegal, some airports have specific rules. The main risks include potential confrontations with other passengers and security concerns from TSA agents. Passengers could be moved to the back of the line or removed from the airport at an agent’s discretion.Payne emphasized that his goal is to ease the experience for everyone involved. “Be patient with the TSA agents that are working for free,” he said. Efforts to reach airports in Atlanta, Houston, and Birmingham for their policies on standing in line for others have not yet yielded responses.
Jimmy Payne’s social media post, initially intended as a joke about standing in line for passengers during the partial government shutdown, is now being taken seriously, leading him to consider it as a potential business opportunity. Payne, known for his humor, said, “Most of my friends on Facebook know me as a jokester, so I made it as a joke.” Despite the lighthearted nature of the post, Payne is now contemplating the logistics of offering this service. “They also know me as a hustler,” Payne said.
Payne’s post suggested he would stand in line for passengers, and he is now considering the logistics of such a service. “It got attention and it made me start thinking like, hey, what if?” Payne said. He is exploring the idea of scheduling appointments for passengers to meet him at specific times to hold their place in line. “I’m going to seriously sit down and think about this. Maybe I could take appointment times, I make an appointment with you, you show up at 8 a.m., 9 a.m. or whatever, then you get in line, but I will seriously sit down and try to work this out,” Payne said.
Research into the feasibility of Payne’s idea reveals that while holding spots in line is not illegal, some airports have specific rules. The main risks include potential confrontations with other passengers and security concerns from TSA agents. Passengers could be moved to the back of the line or removed from the airport at an agent’s discretion.
Payne emphasized that his goal is to ease the experience for everyone involved. “Be patient with the TSA agents that are working for free,” he said. Efforts to reach airports in Atlanta, Houston, and Birmingham for their policies on standing in line for others have not yet yielded responses.
