TSA officials said this week that airport wait times are at all-time highs, according to national reports, as the lapse in government funding leaves TSA employees unpaid. Many of the affected employees have opted not to report to a job that no longer pays them.
Patsiavos said TSA officials in Dayton are not permitted to speak with the press.
For businesses, time matters, said Chris Kershner, president and chief executive of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce and a member of a committee of local business leaders who try to improve airport service in Dayton, the Corporate Airport Advisory Group.
“We’ve seen the long lines at other airports, but not at Dayton,” Kershner said. “Why take the risk to fly another airport when you know you can get through Dayton TSA in five minutes?”
At the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport, officials recommend allowing at least 30 minutes for security screening.
At John Glenn International Airport on Thursday morning, security wait times were being put at just over 30 minutes, according to one tracker, ifly.com.
Margie Lenau, a travel adviser in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said smaller airports tend to have better job attendance by TSA employees.
“What I tell my clients, show up at the airport two or three hours early,” she said in an interview. “The airport website can tell you usually if there’s a long TSA wait.”
Look to travel from smaller airports, even if that means a longer drive to the airport, she also advised. If that’s an option, go for it.
“We always tell them (clients), pack your patience,” Lenau added. “Be kind. There’s nothing workers at the airport can do about what’s going on, and they are doing their best.”
Carlisle native and aviation analyst Jay Ratliff said those departing from Dayton and Cincinnati and similarly sized airports likely aren’t having problems.
But with the return trip departure from Orlando and certain other bigger airports, the delays can be longer, he warned. Ratliff’s advice: Grab a TSA supervisor and ask for that person’s best advice for the return trip from bigger airports.
“Find someone who works at that airport as a supervisor, who knows,” he said.
Ratliff also echoes the recommendation to get to the airport early. “This is not the time you want to play, ‘How close can I cut it?’”
This isn’t about small vs. large airports, said Brett Snyder, president of Cranky Flier LLC, an airline industry blog.
“Airports like Los Angeles and Las Vegas aren’t seeing any significant increases in TSA wait times right now,” Snyder said. “The issue is just making sure there are enough people willing to do the TSA work and not get paid for a while, which is obviously a challenge.”
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