LAS VEGAS -- New rules and regulations at the airport could delay travel through the friendly skies. From airline employees to security agents, almost every area is short staffed due to a new government required background check initiated on Oct. 1.

Airport officials used to complete their own background checks on potential employees. The whole process took about 24 hours. But beginning this month, the government has required doing their own, more extensive background check, which has been slowing the hiring process.

Some 500 people who've been offered jobs haven't been able to start work because McCarran can't issue badges to secured areas until the new government background checks are completed. Officials said some of these checks are taking weeks to complete.

"We've had a difficult time getting the clearance back from the federal government to issue badges for people," county aviation director Randall Walker said. "So, we haven't been able to bring people on to work as quickly as we otherwise could have. This has created some problems for all of our tenants -- from the airlines down to the retail stores and food establishments."

The new security policy prohibits anyone from getting an identification card that allows them access to secured areas until the Transportation Security Administration verifies a potential worker is legal and doesn't have terrorist ties.

Walker said the new procedure should have been tested before it was implemented so as not to leave airports across the country shorthanded, and suggests the old procedure be reinstated until TSA is able to handle the volume of checks coming in. He said there are about 500 potential employees are waiting TSA approval, so the hold up isn't drastic yet. But the system has only been in place a few weeks and, he said, it could get troublesome very quickly.