Summer trips on tap? Get to the airport early

Travelers wait at the new consolidated security checkpoint at Charleston International Airport earlier this year. The lines were unusually long this day; it typically takes less than 30 minutes to get through security at the airport. (Photo/Liz Segrist)

If you’re planning to fly this summer, allow more time than usual to get through security. Some airports are recommending arriving up to three hours before scheduled departure times to avoid missing flights.

Security lines at airports across the country are getting longer, and wait times “could reach epidemic levels when air travel peaks this summer, according to airlines, airports and federal officials,” The New York Times recently reported.

Staffing shortages in the Transportation Security Administration, lengthier security checkpoint procedures, and an increase in numbers of passengers flying are all adding to wait times, the story said.

Hundreds of screening officers are undergoing training to meet the demand, but the growing number of people traveling by plane is not likely to subside this year.

The TSA recommends passengers to arrive 90 minutes to two hours before their scheduled departure time. Airport and security officials are urging passengers to arrive several hours earlier than they typically would. Charleston International Airport is no exception.

The Charleston airport's new security checkpoint, which opened in April 2015, combined two former checkpoints into a consolidated security screening area for all passengers. The 19,300-square-foot space has the capacity for eight lanes, though usually only a few are needed.

Although wait times are rarely ever long at the airport, airport officials urge passengers to allot more time to get through security as passenger growth continues. CHS had a record 3.4 million passengers travel through last year, up 69% from 2010.

“We are busier than ever so we want passengers to leave plenty of time to find parking, check in and go through security,” Charleston airport spokeswoman Charlene Gunnells said in a news release.

Airports around the country — including Atlanta, Miami, New York, Seattle and Chicago — reported longer lines. Charlotte Douglas International Airport officials reported a three-hour wait in security lines in March. Denver International Airport recently began advising travelers to arrive three hours before their flights.