Orlando International Airport has employed ambassador staff members to help passengers check bags for prohibited items and liquids before entering security.
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“But those things take weeks to do and aren’t going to fix it in time for Memorial Day weekend”, said Robin Dillon-Merrill, a Georgetown University business professor who has studied airport security lines.
The first real test of the summer travel season is underway for the Transportation Security Administration as the government agency tries to avoid long lines that have been plaguing airports across the country.
At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, officials are expecting more than 522,000 people will have traveled through the facility between May 25 and May 31, an increase of 9 percent over the same period past year.
According to AAA, more than 38 million Americans, an increase of about 700,000 people from past year, will head out for this Memorial Day weekend, the second-highest Memorial Day travel volume ever.
If you’re flying out of a bigger airport such as Denver, Dallas or Minneapolis, giving yourself a solid 3 hours before your flight is the only way to ensure you make it to the gate on time.
“The longest wait time on Wednesday morning with the new centralized screening checkpoint was about 16 minutes, but most passengers were able to get through in less than five minutes”, Weston said.
Although 90 percent of travelers will be making a road trip, some 2.6 million people will be traveling through airports, according to AAA.
The only time the airport saw more passengers was the day following the 2012 Super Bowl.
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Officials at Charleston International Airport are also expecting a jump in passengers over the weekend.
