On Thursday, TSA officials addressed some concerns about long wait times at airports as we approach the busy summer travel season.
During a demonstration at Midway Airport, officials showed how prohibited items such as a water bottle, a firearm and a knife could make the screening process take up to three times as long as intended.
TSA regional spokesman Mark Howell added that other factors, many of which are completely out of human hands, also influence the wait times customers experience.
“We are not blaming passengers," he said. "It is a mixture of things that are creating wait times. It's staffing, it's volume, it's prohibited items. Weather even plays a factor."
TSA has also urged people to sign up for TSA Pre-Check to help avoid headaches at the airport.
Earl Strong, who travels through Kansas City International Airport, said that’s why he paid $85 to enroll in Pre-Check.
“That’s the whole point, at least that’s what we thought was the point, of the TSA Pre-Check: to help eliminate long lines," he said.
However, Strong learned recently Pre-Check doesn’t always work.
The TSA said Pre-Check passengers must ensure their “Known Traveler Number” is used when the reservation is taken.
An incorrect name or birthdate even off by one letter or number will not clear Pre-Check.
Strong said he double-checked his information was correct, but TSA said they continue random security measures throughout the airport. That left Strong wondering why he paid for the service in the first place.
“[Pre-Check] is much more hassle than it’s worth," he said.
The TSA said the biggest thing contributing to lines across the U.S. is something officials and administrators can't control: Simply put, more people are traveling. According to officials, passenger volume is up 7 percent on average nationwide.
The TSA said the best thing to do when going to the airport is make sure you don’t have prohibited items in your carry-on bag before you enter the line. That, they said, will save you and everyone else time.
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Shannon Halligan can be reached at shannon.halligan@kshb.com.
