Chicago’s two major airports – O’Hare and Midway – tweeted Tuesday morning that security line wait times are longer than average, and customers should arrive at least three hours before their domestic and global flights.
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Neffenger says he’s well aware of the growing problem involving long wait times at airports.
TSA officials say they have stricter security checks, more travelers and a shortage in TSA agents, which is causing the long wait times.
More than 231 million passengers are expected to fly on US airlines this summer, including more than 30 million travelers on global flights, according to Airlines for America, a USA airline trade group.
“It’s been a miserable situation; a real meltdown”, Durbin said of the increasingly long security lines at airports across the U.S.
TSA suggests wherever you’re flying from, get to the airport at least two hours before your flight. Regardless, Kair says there will be waits at the security checkpoints.
At which airports do travelers have it the worst?
In Chicago, over the past several days, many passengers have said they missed their flights, even after following the TSA’s recommendations to show up two hours early for a domestic flight, because they’ve had to wait up to three hours in line for security. Kosmoski said despite the long wait, airport personnel did a great job moving people whose flights were scheduled to depart earlier than others to the front of the line. TSA worker ranks have been thinned by 4,000 at a time of increased worldwide tensions over terrorist bombings.
Holidaymakers travelling through USA airports this summer are being advised to arrive early due to long queues at security check points.
At Denver International Airport, the customer service team now occasionally hands out water, Hershey’s Kisses, Peppermint Patties and lollipops to passengers waiting on long lines.
The TSA recently got congressional approval to use $34 million to hire roughly 800 new security officers and pay for more part-time workers and overtime for existing airport security screeners. “If you went to Walt Disney and said, ‘Can you reduce the size of the lines?’ Nobody runs lines better than Disney”, Kerrey told CNBC on Wednesday.
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Johnson also urged travelers to sign up for TSA Precheck, which provides expedited screening for passengers who are considered to be low-risk.
