After Transportation Security Administration, airport and airline officials rallied to prepare for the first holiday weekend of the summer, security lines over Memorial Day weekend moved faster than many expected.
As holiday travelers wrapped up their trips early Tuesday morning, security wait times were 15 to 30 minutes or less in the domestic terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson, according to airport staff. Lines stretched into the terminal atrium, but moved quickly.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Wait times over the weekend were kept to an average of 13.5 mins, according to Hartsfield-Jackson spokesman Reese McCranie. TSA said no wait times were reported over 30 minutes.
TSA has been hiring additional security officers and brought extra screeners from less-congested airports in to help at the world's busiest airport for the holiday weekend. It recently launched an incident command center to monitor checkpoint lines nationally and shift resources to troubleshoot issues at the busiest airports.
The agency has also boosted its staff during busy mornings, when the biggest crowds come into the terminal.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
And Atlanta-based
and TSA recently
by redesigning two lanes at Hartsfield-Jackson International's South security checkpoint with
aimed at speeding processing of travelers.
Passenger counts going through TSA checkpoints over the weekend fell short of the record 88,000 seen in one day over Thanksgiving weekend last year. The busiest day over Memorial Day weekend was Friday with 83,400 passengers, while the lightest was Sunday with 63,400 passengers.
Initial TSA forecasts show heavier traffic for coming weekends in June, with 86,500 passengers expected through TSA checkpoints June 10 and 12 -- though that would still fall short of the record.
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