Can do! Am heading to the Philly airport - to… Atlanta!
I just thought of an app to create. People can report real-time on current TSA line conditions so they can gauge whether to be there 3 hours ahead or not.
I flew from LaGuardia last Tuesday morning and the line was surprisingly long. Luckily I was TSA-pre-checked (I have no idea why --) and my flight didn’t leave for three and a half hours. (You take what rides you can get!) A few people on my pre-check line were concerned about missing their fight, so those of us near those people suggest they ask permission from those in front of them to jump the line.
My husband flies a lot and usually has pre-check or pre-flight or whatever it’s called. He flies out of the Atlanta Airport (or Hartsfield LaToya Jackson International, as we call it here), and usually gives himself at least two hours IN the airport to get through. Plus another hour to drive down there, so he’ll leave at 4 am for a 7 am flight.
He’s definitely noticed the whole insanity that’s been happening lately, and has been texting his coworkers who fly with him when it’s especially bad so they know to leave early.
He said at one point a few weeks ago the line got so bad they just started letting everyone through without taking off their shoes, etc. Security Theater at its best ;). YOU get a Pre-Check and YOU get a Pre-Check!
We fought global entry and recently were upgraded by United to Gold frequent flyer members so tend to get the shorter lines. Our home airport is HNL and we often fly SFO or IAD. We always give ourselves at least 2-3 hours IN the airport and sometimes barely make it to pre-board, with barely taking a brief stop to grab a bite to eat after getting they TSA. We are glad we don’t have to deal with the longer TSA lines.
Our D flies LAX and SFO. She opts out instead of the full body scanner and said most recently they’ve had her assume some yoga positions instead of the more intrusive patdowns in intimate places. She said it sped up her TSA.
Sometimes you get awarded TSA pre-check by a given airline if you fly frequently. My wife was flying to the Midwest a lot the last few years on Southwest and started having pre-check appear on her boarding passes after five trips or so. Otherwise, you can apply for a KTN [known traveler number] and pay $80 for 5 years of pre-check on any domestic flight. Don’t have to take your shoes of or pull computer out of bag or show your clear bag of toiletries, etc., and a much shorter line. Definitely worth it, in my opinion.
Hey, I’m sitting in ATL airport right now.
This text:
“Delta advisory: ATL airport - South checkpoint closed until 5/24/16. Additional lanes opened at main checkpoint. Please arrive 2-3 hours prior to departure.”
Fortunately, I’m already in, waiting for my connection.
If you’re wanting pre-check regularly and MAY do any international travel in the next 5 years, Global Entry at $100 for 5 years is a better deal. It gets you thru the quicker line thru immigration/customs for international flights to US as well as pre-check domestically. We got it and love it!
Looks like there’s already an app called MyTSA where travelers can post their wait times at the different checkpoints but it only goes up to 31 minutes plus, so wait times of 32 minutes or 3 hours would both be classified as 31+. Pretty useless.
Thanks for all of the Atlanta (LaToya Jackson - lol) reports. I will be flying out on the 24th, so would expect an improvement. 
Philly was a breeze. Atlanta was a zoo.
Didn’t see the TSA security lines at the Atlanta airport today. Headed to different way. Saturday morning it was at least a half hour wait for non-TSA pre-check. Sunday evening it was shorter for TSA pre-check, but my husband said the regular security line was crazy
Anyone fly out of DCA lately? S2 will be flying out of there, and we’re all coordinated to meet in CA. He tends to get to the gate when they’re already boarding, and that was before things got this bad, so updated info to pass along to him would be helpful.
Had a Friday afternoon domestic flight last month, without the TSA pre-check. Gave myself 2 hours and was at the gate in 15 minutes, but it was Southwest at Terminal A (the old section). Things are trickier and the lines longer at Terminals B/C.
Flew out of LAX Tom Bradley Terminal 3 weeks ago. Due to having to go with airbus time schedule we had 3 hours plus the flight was delayed an hour giving us 4 hours. Security took only about 15 minutes but we did have use of the priority line. Flew out of CDG in Paris last week. Gave ourselves 3 hours. Security went pretty quick and smoothly. The nightmare was over 90 minutes to clear immigration and customs at LAX. ( have to admit I thought about CC as I was in the security lines. What people were wearing and what shoes they had on their feet.)
I took my youngest to our local airport today. She worried about not making it through security with enough time. She texted us before we even got on the freeway that she was worried for nothing and was already seated at her gate. Security took only minutes. Whenever possible I like to leave from our local airport. With the puddle jumper to LAX it at least gets you inside the terminal and you avoid security at LAX. Doesn’t work for the international terminal since Lax doesn’t have internal terminal connections to Tom Bradley from the other terminals.
Agree with @HImom about the Global Entry program versus the domestic one. I had not flown for some years and then had a need and assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that the international pass would take longer and so went for the domestic one, which cleared me in like 5 days. With more time, I would definitely have gone for the more comprehensive one. Final note: TSA gets a lot of [well-deserved] grief these days, but the agent I met with at the TSA office at SFO was professional, efficient, and friendly. Probably someone who got promoted out of line duty.
Thanks, mominva. He’s also taking Southwest, but I’ll still suggest he get to the airport 2 hours before his flight.
His flight is a Thursday mid-morning.
The Global Entry pass was very quick to get. We fly international only annually or so, but still felt it was worth the few extra $$. In HNL, the hardest thing was finding the office for the in person interview. Also, when you get an updated passport you have to go back to the office in person to update the global entry or precheck card.
I’ve said this a few times before on various threads, but the price for the Global Entry program was the best money that I have ever spent.
My friend was in Atlanta airport over weekend. He said there were 2000 people in front of him, and pleased he went there so early.