Airport security lines during Memorial Day weekend appeared to move far quicker than in weeks past as some of the nation’s busiest airports opened up more screening lanes and used bomb-sniffing dogs to give some passengers a pass on taking off their shoes.
It’s been no secret that the Transportation Security Administration has been under fire of late as wait times soared, causing a number of passengers to miss flights. But during the holiday weekend, passengers reported back wait times of under 15 minutes as opposed to an hour in some cases during recent weeks.
LaGretta Watkin told The Associated Press that when she traveled from Atlanta’s airport a few weeks ago, she and other passengers could barely move because of the chaos. “But today,” she said, “it’s smooth sailing and refreshing. And I’m loving it.”
An increase in travelers and a decrease in TSA staffing was blamed for the long lines at airport security. But the extra lanes and bomb-sniffing dogs appear to have worked — at least for one weekend — and TSA spokesman Mike English said the bomb-sniffing dogs will remain at busy airports beyond Memorial Day weekend.
“This is not just for Memorial Day weekend,” English said. “I wouldn’t expect that it would go away any time soon.”
The dogs “have the ability to screen large groups of passengers for explosives, making the removal of shoes and laptops and such unnecessary,” English added.
