JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Catching a flight can be stressful, but some TSA PreCheck customers say long lines and slow wait times are making the experience even harder.
Pat Hiatt flies out of the Jacksonville International Airport often, but she said the last time she did, on Feb. 9, something was different. She waited for 45 minutes just to go through the TSA’s PreCheck security line.
“We were talking in line and the people were quite upset,” Hiatt said. “Some of the people, they thought they were going to miss their flights. One woman said she’d been there Monday, and it was just as bad.”
Hiatt isn’t the only one who’s noticed a change. Four airport employees told First Coast News PreCheck lines have been longer than standard passenger lines lately.
“We noted that the non-PreCheck line, several people left our line and went through that line and got through faster before us, so that line was no way as long, but the pre-check line was probably five to 10 times longer,” Hiatt said.
Hiatt said she wishes the TSA would communicate with customers who pay for PreCheck about longer wait times.
She said she had no trouble at the Washington airport on her way back to Jacksonville.
“A little bit of a heads-up,” Hiatt said. “You know, rather than getting in and saying, ‘Oh my gosh. I’m gonna miss my flight.”
TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz said the reason for long lines this week is Presidents' Day weekend.
"With the long weekend of holiday travelers going home, yesterday was the busiest day of the year at JAX with more than 12,000 travelers...and only six lanes available to screen passengers due to an ongoing airport construction program rather than the previous eight that used to be available... and our highest TSA PreCheck wait time was 14 minutes," Koshetz said.
When asked about Hiatt's 45 minutes standing in line on Feb. 9, Koshetz said the maximum average wait time on that day was 10 minutes in the TSA PreCheck line.
Jacksonville Aviation Authority spokesperson Greg Willis told First Coast News that wait times can vary.
"That’s why it’s important for travelers to arrive two hours prior to their departure time," he says. "That gives them time to find parking, check bags and navigate through security.”