My husband's passport renewal saga:

Applied in person with an appointment on April 25 at the post office. Paid for expedited service and Express shipping.

Checked online almost daily, and status was still "in process" on May 18. Googled online to see what other options were available and found a Facebook page that dealt with urgent passport needed. The key is to contact the State Governor, Federal Senator, or Congressperson, Sent email the same night.

Early on May 19, the Senator's office called. Six hours later, the status changed from "in process" to "approved." The next day, it showed "shipped". Due to the weekend, passport arrived today (Monday, May 23).

Ready to fly early next week.