Get to the Airport Early during Spring Break
The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) is warning travelers to show up to the airport extra early over the spring break travel season, which will be at its peak next week. The TSA is blaming the long security wait times (some longer than an hour) on the fact that the number of air travelers is growing significantly year-over-year. This spring break, more than 65.1 million travelers are expected to travel.
The TSA has released these tips to help speed up the wait times at security checkpoints nationwide:
- Arrive early to the airport to allow enough time to park, get your boarding pass, check your baggage, and go through the checkpoint. We recommend arriving at U.S. airports up to three hours prior to international flights and up to two hours prior to domestic flights if not enrolled in TSA PreCheck.
- If possible, print out your boarding passes prior to arriving at the airport.
- Know what is in your bag. Passengers who bring prohibited items to the checkpoint slow the screening process for themselves and everyone behind them. If in doubt about an item, use the “When I fly can I bring my…” tool on TSA.gov to make sure your item is permitted in carry-on and/or checked baggage.
- Pack your liquids, aerosols, gels, creams, and pastes in compliance with the 3-1-1 liquids rule. Passengers who violate this rule will also cause delays for themselves and everyone behind them.
- Remove all items from your pockets and put the items into your carry-on bag or into a bin when you get to the checkpoint. You may save time if you remove everything from your pockets before you get to the checkpoint.
- Reducing the amount of congestion in your carry-on bag will enable it to move through screening faster.
- Avoid wearing large metal jewelry or clothing with large metal embellishments to reduce the possibility of alarming the screening machine.
- Pay close attention to the instructions that the TSA officers provide at the checkpoint. This helps the process move along efficiently.
- Travelers who have medical conditions or disabilities are encouraged to call the TSA Cares toll-free helpline in advance of their trip at 1-855-787-2227 FREE to ask about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the checkpoint. It is recommended to call 72 hours in advance of the trip.
- Follow @AskTSA on Twitter. We’re responding to your questions in real time on Twitter from 7 am to 7 pm ET.
Related: See NBC’s Nightly News segment on this same warning.
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I liked that you said that flying out of an airport will eliminate the need for sitting in traffic. I have been thinking about going on vacation but I have been worried about traffic when I drive there. I will consider flying instead so that I can enjoy convenience.