ATLANTA — Channel 2 Action News discovered that Transportation Security Administration lines at the world’s busiest airport are getting longer, according to the most recent data provided by the TSA.
On Sunday night, lines were long, and passengers booked it through the maze to get to the TSA screening area.
For weeks, some frequent fliers say they’ve seen wait times get worse.
“I’ve definitely noticed lines getting longer,” said Eric Davis, a frequent traveler.
According to recent data provided by the TSA, the percentage of passengers waiting more than 10 and 20 minutes in September was nearly two times higher than the average for the year.
The data show 42 percent of passengers in the non-PreCheck line waited between 10 and 19 minutes. About 5 percent waited 20 minutes. That is up, when you compare it to the yearly average so far. So far through September, the data show only about 23 percent waited 10 to 19 minutes.
Channel 2 Action News does not have the numbers for October yet. However, the TSA reported a record 80,000 passengers going through screening in one day that month, which is unusual for a typically slower month.
“Nationwide, TSA has seen a more than six percent increase this year in the number of passengers being screened over 2014. At Hartsfield-Jackson, the increase is more than eight percent, equating to more than a million more passengers being screened to date this year, compared to the same time period last year,” according to a recent TSA press release.
The TSA says that passengers attempting to bring through prohibited items like water bottles, and knives are also slowing down the lines. In Atlanta, TSA collected about 1,500 pounds of prohibited items a month.
“I noticed that I don’t know why it is like that. They probably need to hire more people but I understand that budgets are pretty tight these days so its probably tough,” said Davis.
The local TSA union president says they need more agents. A spokesperson for the TSA say it is working on making more hires.
The TSA expects passenger volume to remain high through the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
"We do TSA pre a lot, and the pre lines seems longer. More people are getting signed up for TSA PreCheck,” said Chuck Harris, another passenger.
The TSA is urging passengers to get to the airport two hours before their flight departs.
WSBTV
