In the days leading up to travel and in the hours before leaving for the airport, passengers can search the hashtag #IHateTheWait along with their airport code to see what other travelers are reporting about the security wait times in that location.
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Expect the airports to be busy too, but the TSA says it’s added more staffers to help reduce wait times going through security.
Domestic travelers should arrive at the airport two hours before a flight while worldwide travelers should arrive three hours prior to their flight’s departure time. The TSA has come under renewed criticism from government officials and the general public following an escalation of wait times at security screenings at domestic airports as the summer travel season begins.
Earlier this year, Delta and TSA began collaborating to take steps to improve the security process at the national and airport levels.
But extra travelers and fuller planes will make it harder for airlines to find empty seats to accommodate customers who miss their flights. Misery loves company, and when it comes to the TSA, company it certainly has – according to an executive with American Airlines, a stunning 70,000 flyers with this one airline alone have missed their flights this year due to airport screening delays. No it was not, said the airport and TSA officials, who also tried to suppress information about the case.
Those 70,000 customers account for just a fraction of the 63 million trips on scheduled flights of American, the world’s largest airline, through April, but the number of missed trips is likely greater when including large U.S. rivals Delta, United and Southwest.
The Chief of Security for TSA was recently fired in response to the long lines and other issues at the agency. This is especially the expected rise of passenger numbers for Memorial Day getaway.
“I’m surprised they are not as long as I expected them to be”, she said.
Whatever the cause, even airlines are complaining that TSA lines are too long.
One traveler’s reaction to the lines at airport security today was simply, “Wow”.
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It was an experience shared with Kristan and Tim Witham.
