Posted on 05/16/2016 10:18:59 AM PDT by C19fan
Travelers flying out of Chicago just can’t catch a break. With increasingly long lines to get through security at the city’s airports, many travelers have been missing their flights, and some ended up sleeping at O’Hare International Airport on Sunday.
American Airlines put out cots for fewer than 100 travelers who missed their flights Sunday night due to the long lines at TSA security checkpoints.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicago.cbslocal.com ...
OBAMA’s/Hillary’s AMERIKA!!!
It depends on the airport, how well you know the airport, and the time of day. Atlanta is well known for the huge lines at the main checkpoint, but there is a hidden, secondary checkpoint down an unmarked hallway on the non-Delta side of the terminal that usually isn’t too bad.
DFW - the international terminal usually has no lines in the mornings, since a lot of the international jumbo jets leave in the afternoon.
Las Vegas - usually huge lines, but one day I waltzed through in under 5 minutes, including the machines. Setup is fairly well designed.
LAX - poorly designed, but the lines move pretty well.
Kansas City - it would take a skilled professional to do a poorer job of designing an airport - an ordinary architect couldn’t do that bad of a job. The private screeners there aren’t any better than the average TSA guys.
Your rules for dealing with TSA should be the same as for dealing with a motorcycle gang - be polite and non-confrontatinal, but not friendly, say only what you need to say, and try to get out of there before you get hurt.
I like it. :)
This is a government run scam. And its dangerous too. The TSA is causing the lines on purpose. And as we have seen in Belgium, bombs can go off in a TSA line just as easily as anywhere else. The TSA is serving up a terrorist event.
The government is trying to promote that we need more infrastructure spending. That the Airports architecture is causing the long line. But in Chicago both airports have been modified after 911 to handle far more TSA lines. In Chicago OHare there are 9 different lines to get into the domestic flights but some have been closed to handle employees or are just closed because there is nobody there. TSA wants more agents. And Congress wants to give states more money. But they need this call to action, political cover. So the TSA in causing a slow down.
When the first terrorist hits these lines like they hit LA or Belgium, I am blaming those deaths on Government employees.
Phil Lebeau of CNBC is just giving the government line. He is saying there is some problem even though we have the same flyers going through the same airports as last year.
I completely disagree.
When the KC airport was designed, it was before all of this terrorism crap. I used to fly in and out of there all the time back in the mid 90's and it was a dream. Parking pretty close to the gate and quick ins and outs. The problem is that the gate design is not very conducive to the TSA screenings we are now forced to endure.
Ding!
Ding!
flying out of Charles de Gaul two days after the Brussells bombing was hellish.
Exactly what I was thinking. This started bubbling up a little while ago. Something is afoot. Same with the restroom issue. What is the distraction for? It must be big.
When I fly I do so out of LAX. I’ve never had to wait in long lines but have seen a few. It’s usually when they have several large flights leaving around the same time.
DFW was built in the same era with a similar philosophy. They were able to figure out how to fix it. Because it did use a standard two-level design.
Given the low levels of traffic now using MCI, it would have been fairly cheap and easy to pull the front of the building out the width of the sidewalk to allow circulation for the non secure areas, build a few restrooms in that area, and secure the entire main hallway area with a couple of checkpoints between the two areas. Instead, they are going to tear down the existing three terminals, and start from scratch with a whole new terminal complex. They were nice enough to put a small restroom in most of the gate areas. But want food or a drink? Go back through security.
Ever try to get to a rental car at MCI? Bus shelters at random, poorly marked location in the driveway median. No way to get to them in the rain or snow except to drag your luggage across traffic to the median. Then given the lack of signage, pick a random direction and walk to you find a bus shelter, and wait for a bus.
MCI - poorly designed, poorly adapted. I’ve seen better jobs done with 60s era designs. At least the fix will only cost about a billion dollars. (Yes, they say they can bring it in for only $964 million, but by the time the job is finished, I’ll bet they top an even billion.)
DFW is a mess now with the construction they’re doing.
FRA isn’t bad for most American passengers going to the US. But it is the only airport where I always get pulled out for ‘special treatment’.
I’ve been rescued by the airport bar on many occasions.
If you are flying American, just check in at one of the other terminals, and then take the train after you are through security. (Of course, one time the train was only running one direction, so it took me the full tour to get to where I needed to be). Terminal E, you have my sympathy.
I usually park Express South and use my toll tag, so unless I’m just picking someone up, I don’t get into the terminal parking traffic.
the problem was all of Brussells’ traffic seemed to be at CdG trying to fly wherever it was they could not now fly to from Brussells (airport was closed down). Security took 3.5 hours. Then flight was delayed 3 hours, then cancelled, then fixed, then the next day the flight was delayed 3 more hours, missed the connex at O’Hare, then overnight at the Holiday Inn O’Hare (now THAT’s off my bucket list!) then home. ugh.
I usually use FRA or Schiphol because they speak English. I figure in France, there’s always the risk that they’ll understand you, but pretend they don’t. And my limited French is pretty stale.
There’s also the problem of the collapsing terminals.
Of course, the joke as to the security delays at CdG would be that the terrorists hit Brussels outside security, and long security lines just provide a richer target.
we got lucky. during one delay (my passport would not validate my boarding pass for unknown reasons.... took nearly an hour to fix) we had a wonderful French agent who spoke excellent English and she was friendly, wanted to know all about where we lived... it CAN happen! :) the rest of them were terrible jerks.
In my experience, anything around a day’s drive is better done driving. For instance, a flight to visit the relatives is 10 hours, from leaving my house to driving up to their house. I can drive the same trip in less than 11 hours. It is approximately 650 miles one way.
Driving is much cheaper, less hassle, and I can bring what I want. (And, I like to drive...)
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