A marketplace specializing in products for gamers called CSDB.gg has conducted research into the waiting time for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checks at U.S. airports in 2023. To do so, they have made use of data collected by Qsensor at the 31 major airports in the country. Among the top 5 awe can find Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The longest recorded wait time was 15 minutes and 27 seconds! The figures vary depending on the day and time of day with the most passengers, but the differences between the top five airports are not significantly different. This is why precautions should be taken when traveling such as arriving well in advance, not traveling during peak hours or using programs such as TSA PreCheck or Clear to speed up the identification process.
Wait times at TSA checkpoints
All airports in the United States have Transportation Security Administration identification points. It is a mandatory checkpoint for all passengers wishing to board a flight at any airport in the country. Despite being a requirement to ensure the safety of travelers, it is often the most stressful time for them. The queues seem to go on forever and flights have even been missed due to delays at the identification points. And it is exactly this aspect that the marketplace specializing in products for gamers, CSDB.gg, wanted to investigate. Through the data collected by the Qsensor, they have analyzed the waiting times of the main airports of the country throughout the year 2023.
Top 5 “slowest” airports in the U.S.
After analyzing more than 10 million passengers at 31 major U.S. airports, a top 5 list of those with the longest wait times has been determined:
1) Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood (FL) – 15 minutes y 27 seconds.
2) Charlotte Douglas (NC) – 15 minutes y 6 seconds.
3) Los Ángeles – LAX (CA) – 14 minutes y 29 seconds.
4) San Diego (CA) – 14 minutes y 14 seconds.
5) John F. Kennedy – JFK (NY) – 12 minutes y 54 seconds.
What do waiting times depend on?
There are several factors that determine the delay at these security points. In the case of John F. Kennedy – JFK (NY), the worst day to travel is Sunday, as it shows higher concentrations of passengers. It is recommended to travel on Mondays, considered the quietest days, when the waiting time is reduced to 12 minutes and 2 seconds on average. Another influential factor is the time. Passengers wait almost 17 minutes when it comes to flights between 14:00h-15:00h, while in the early morning, it drops to 4 minutes and a half.
On the other hand, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, in Florida, is considered the “slowest”. In this case, the worst day to travel is Wednesday. In this case, the time slots do not seem to affect too much, except at 05:00 am, when the wait is almost 25 minutes on average.
What other airports are on the list?
Some of the other listed airports are:
- Charlotte Douglas (NC).
- LAX (CA).
- San Diego (CA).
- Harry Reid (Las Vegas).
- Austin–Bergstrom (Texas).
- Salt Lake City (Utah).
- San Francisco (CA).
- Baltimore/Washington (Maryland).
How can passengers prevent this?
Some tips to get rid of these eternal queues are:
- Arrive well in advance at the airport.
- Avoid days and times of high congestion.
- Consider alternative airports if wait times are a deciding factor.
- Make use of programs such as TSA PreCheck or Clear to speed up the identification process.
Following this study, a spokesperson for CSDB.gg made the following statements: “Traveling can be a stressful experience. Many people don’t feel at ease until they have passed through security and seen their gate. This study shows significant differences between airports, and that has to do directly with infrastructure and management efficiency”.
Did you know that you can carry two IDs to expedite TSA checkpoints?