Quick TSA Wait Times Over Memorial Day Weekend

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Photo by Freeimages.com/Alberto Grilo

In spite of fears of long wait times, travelers found airport security moving fairly quickly over Memorial Day weekend, the Associated Press reports. Travelers reported short wait times at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, which had made headlines in recent weeks for long wait times, as well as in Miami, St. Louis, New York - JFK, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix. Others, however, reported long lines in Denver and Sacramento.

With AAA forecasting the busiest Memorial Day travel weekend since 2005, travelers had been bracing for long airport wait times after long security lines prompted the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to remove its Assistant Administrator for Security Operations. The TSA also established a National Incident Command Center to track screening operations nationwide and shift resources to accommodate predicted passenger volumes, as well as made real-time wait times available on its myTSA mobile app. 

The long lines had garnered criticism in recent weeks, with the Business Travel Coalition (BTC) warning that the lines could pose a security risk by stranding large masses of travelers on the non-secure side of the airport. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) had also warned that long queues could act as “soft targets” for terrorists, as happened with the terrorist attacks in Brussels

With a busy summer travel season ahead, it remains to be seen how the TSA will continue to manage airport security, Reese McCranie, a spokesman for the Atlanta airport, told the AP. 

"Memorial Day is really a dress rehearsal for the rest of the summer," McCranie told the AP. "We're hopeful that we're working toward a similar experience for all other major travel periods."

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