Video shot at 5 a.m. Monday shows hundreds of passengers slowly making their way through an hours-long security line in Terminal 3 at O’Hare.
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Officials at O’Hare International Airport are recommending passengers arrive three hours before their flight.
Travelers at Chicago O’Hare Airport endured a rough experience over the weekend as horrifically long security lines caused them to miss their flights. On average, a passenger waits about 10 minutes at Dayton International Airport.
Why are security lines such a mess?
The couple had to wait for more than two and a half hours at the Transportation Security Administration screening queue. The agency has said the increasingly long lines at airports are the result of a combination of increased traveler volumes and TSA staffing shortages due to federal budget cuts.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said last Friday that they are taking steps to remedy the situation by bringing in more screening officers at the TSA lines and “increasing the use of overtime”. The program allows passengers to be screened at enrollment in order to have their identity verified, allowing them to enter a separate line that goes much quicker then the normal security lines. Long wait times over the past week at O’Hare led to about 450 people flying on American Airlines to miss their flights, forcing tired travelers to bunk up in cots overnight at the airport.
In addition to 58 new security officers, the TSA is sending extra bomb-sniffing canine teams to O’Hare, according to the lawmaker.
“We are telling people to treat everyday like a holiday this summer and come to the airport two hours earlier”, Howell said. To address the issue, union leaders say around 6,000 more full-time agents are needed, particularly in time for the busy summer season, when many airlines are anticipating record numbers of fliers.
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On the other hand, the agency responded to backlash over long waits at New York City airports last week, essentially blaming passengers for the delays and warning them to be prepared.
