Q: I keep hearing that the security lines at the airport are long and can take two or more hours to get through. Does that also go for the Precheck lines, or are those lines still faster?
—Ann Vogt, Dallas
A: Wait times at the security checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport peaked recently at 45-50 minutes, but haven't reached two hours, a Transportation Security Administration spokesman told Q&A on the News.
The longest lines nationally have been around 75 minutes, and those have been on rare occasions, spokesman Mark Howell said.
TSA Precheck, an “expedited security screening program,” rarely has waits of more than 10 or 15 minutes, and most of the time, it’s about five minutes, Howell said.
Precheck passengers are preapproved through the program and don’t have to remove shoes, belts and light jackets or their laptops from bags.
TSA suggests travelers to be in the terminal two hours before a domestic flight and three hours prior to an international flight.
“We open and close lanes as needed,” Howell said. “It’s a chess game through the day.”
Howell said to remember the time it takes to park, especially at large airports like Hartsfield-Jackson, and factor that into arrival time.
In 2015, Hartsfield-Jackson became the first airport to handle 100 million passengers in a year.
Q: England’s Danny Willett won the Masters and $1.8 million. What is the exchange rate for the dollar and the pound?
—John McCauslan, Dacula
A: As of Thursday afternoon, $1 equaled .70 of a British pound, so $1.8 million would convert to about 1.25 million pounds.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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