Seasonal & Holidays
Hate the Wait? A Glimpse of Airport Security
How bad are the lines on the holiday weekend? Depends on who's doing the telling.
There's a sea of people at @fly2ohare Terminal 3 this morning ... #iHateTheWait #MemorialDayWeekend #chicago #ORD pic.twitter.com/YojOKX8pgb
How long is the wait at security Saturday morning as millions of people pass through O'Hare and Midway airports in Chicago? That depends on who and when. Despite big crowds — as expected throughout Memorial Day weekend — many people are tweeting that they are breezing through TSA security lines.
It's ironic that the #tsa pre check line is longer than the regular check in
Find out what's happening in Chicagofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Go ahead and sleep that extra hour. Just breezed thru security without a line in less than 5 minutes at #O'Hare #chicago @fly2ohare
— Barbara Grobicki (@bgrobicki) May 28, 2016
@TSA Who's gonna be the one fired for lines at @fly2ohare today? 2:45 hour lead times and still in danger of missing flight.
Find out what's happening in Chicagofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Busy holiday weekend at @fly2ohare and only FIVE min in #TSA pre line! Thanks @SenatorDurbin & everyone else who fixed the mess. ✈️
— Jennifer Schulze (@WindyCityMom) May 28, 2016
Security lines @UnitedAirlines @fly2ohare moving quickly - 15m in terminal 1.
U know it's gonna be a good day when u randomly got TSA pre check & avoid 2 1/2hr lines O'Hare! #MemorialDayWeekend pic.twitter.com/gOv9G9XgzT
— Dawn (@cubsgirl0929) May 28, 2016
@TSA saw the lines and thought it was gonna be bad but it took less than 10 mins! Good job @fly2midway great start to a vacation
Long TSA line, even at 4am. #Chicago
— Rebecca Gomolka (@gomolka_chiller) May 28, 2016
Line at ORD Starbucks: longer than the wait for security
— Liz Vukelich (@LizVukelich) May 28, 2016
TSA continues to advise people to arrive at the airport early: two hours for domestic travel; three hours for international.
Stories like this one hastened the change at the TSA: The Security Line at Midway is How Long? WTF TSA!
After a change in management at Chicago's airport and the upgrade of 100 part-time TSA screeners to full time last week, as well as the addition of nine canine units to check for explosives, the average wait times and peak wait times have decreased.
Peak wait times generally are experienced in the morning. The city released figures from May 15 to May 22:
- O'Hare: 42 minutes; down from 105 minutes in the first half of May
- Midway: 44 minutes; down from 65 minutes in the first half of May
Average wait times are less than 10 minutes now at both airports, according to the city.
The Chicago Department of Aviation anticipates more than 1.7 million passengers will travel through O’Hare and Midway International Airports from May 26 through May 31.
Memorial Day Essentials
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