Maybe Dad was right about getting to the airport early. But it turns out there’s still such a thing as TOO early.
Travelers panicked by scenes of at U.S. airport security checkpoints and frustrating tales of missed flights over the past few weeks are now showing up way before their departures. Some airports where the have been manageable say those early birds are only adding to the misery 鈥� and in some cases causing other passengers to get to their gate too late.
In Ohio, John Glenn International Airport in Columbus is warning passengers against arriving hours in advance, even creating a chart showing when to show up: 鈥�90 minutes before departure is all you need.鈥�
The airport says those premature arrivers 鈥� reacting to the that鈥檚 creating crowded security checkpoints 鈥� are making things worse by creating bottlenecks during peak times.
鈥淎rriving too early can actually create longer lines right when we open,鈥� the airport said in a social media post Thursday. 鈥淪pacing out arrival times helps keep things moving smoothly for everyone.鈥�
It’s Airport Dad’s moment 鈥� finally
In some ways, the airport chaos is turning into a full circle moment for 鈥淎irport Dad鈥� 鈥� a humorous TikTok and social media take on the dad who always makes sure the family is out the door, parked, through security and positioned at the correct gate well before anyone else, with paper boarding passes in hand.
Airline customers aren’t laughing, at least right now. They’re facing record wait times in a jumbled environment 鈥� the modern American airport 鈥� that can serve up assorted on the best of days.
Amber Campbell said she missed a morning flight this week despite arriving at Baltimore-Washington International Airport more than three hours ahead of time.
鈥淲e noted several people in line with later afternoon flights,” Campbell posted on Facebook. “There was no organization or consideration for those of us missing flights vs people with later flights. We missed our flight by ten minutes!鈥�
What’s confusing for air passengers is that which airports will be plagued next by security lines spilling out of terminals.
Checkpoints in some places are beyond two hours
The government shutdown straining Transportation Security Administration staffing has ballooned checkpoint wait times beyond two hours at some major airports. George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston has become for travelers with four-hour security lines.
鈥淎n absolute nightmare,鈥� said Arthur Tsebetzis, while standing in a line Friday that snaked through the main terminal and spilled outside Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.
Those are by far the worst-case scenarios. Many airports 鈥� like the one in Ohio 鈥� have been seeing wait times comparable with those in normal times. That’s why airlines say the best advice for passengers right now is to check TSA wait times before their scheduled departures.
It鈥檚 a bit reminiscent of the days of 鈥� 鈥� during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
鈥淚t鈥檚 human nature. You don鈥檛 have control over what鈥檚 going on at an airport,鈥� said Shari Botwin, a Philadelphia clinical social worker who counsels people about anxiety.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much media attention about the chaos at airports,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey might not trust when someone says, 鈥橶ell, you don鈥檛 need to come out early anymore.'”
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Associated Press reporters Ed White in Detroit and Emilie Megnien in Atlanta contributed.
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