What’s the maximum wait time at the security checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport?
The Transportation Security Administration says the wait does not often exceed 20 minutes. But if you’re looking for that maximum wait time you can dependably count on, you’re out of luck.
New TSA chief Peter Neffenger visited Hartsfield-Jackson this week to see security operations first-hand, but he parried a question about whether there should be a “target” wait time for travelers.
“I think it’s tough to pick a target wait time, only because there’s so much variability in the system,” Neffenger said, citing record summer travel that has driven increases in passenger traffic.
The world’s busiest airport had a target wait time of 20 minutes maximum in the past, but Neffenger said Monday that wait times are not the most important consideration. As TSA retrains screeners to address failures to detect mock explosives and weapons during tests, “we may see a slight increase in wait times,” he said.
“I believe that the traveling public is willing to accept that there may be a slightly longer wait to ensure that they’re secure getting on the plane,” Neffenger said. “I think there’s a balance. You want to make sure you’re doing an effective job of screening people coming through because we don’t want to have bad stuff getting into the aviation system.… Security is always a priority from my perspective.”
The heaviest crushes of traveler traffic lead to security lines that snake from the main checkpoint through the domestic terminal atrium and beyond, with wait times of up to 45 minutes.
Hartsfield-Jackson has seen an 8 percent increase in volume this year, screening an average of 60,000 passengers a day.
“There are definitely sort of peak periods where wait times have increased and I know Atlanta has experienced some of those,” Neffenger said. “There’s a huge volume of people traveling this summer…. That puts a lot of stress on the system. People should just realize the aviation world is pretty busy right now.”
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