Ask Axios: Does TSA stay open late in Richmond for delayed flights?

Question: "Richmond airport's website says TSA closes at 8pm. What happens if my flight is delayed way later than that, like until midnight, as recently happened to me?" reader Alex P. asks.

Answer: "With a delayed flight, the airline advises TSA and requests an extension. If it's a rolling delay, the checkpoint screening extension may be prolonged, but it is not indefinite," Troy Bell, director of marketing for Richmond International Airport, tells Axios.

Those extensions are usually an hour or less, Bell adds, but TSA staying open beyond 9pm is not common.

• TSA confirmed the extension protocols and added that travelers are still advised to arrive two hours before departure, so extended TSA times for delayed flights would likely reflect that.
• And it's up to the airline to communicate those changes to the passengers. They won't be reflected on RIC's website, where you can find the usual TSA hours and wait times.

The bars inside each concourse, BTW, are supposed to stay open until the last flight leaves, Bell adds.

• But reader Alex P. says that while his recent delayed flight ended up leaving at 10:30pm, the bar closed up at 9pm. As did TSA.