DCA Security wait times
 

A non elite friend is traveling DCA to DTW at 7.30am

Does anyone have any upto date info on a typical security wait at DCA around 7am.

Does the elite line work for a World Club holder - I noticed it did for Delta.

How are Silver elite upgrades from DCA on Mondays? He will be elite in Feb

I havnt had any bad lines out of DCA in quite a while... usually takes me 10 min max to get through. Just don't go through the far right lane (puffer) they make you take your shoes off (isnt that the reason to use the puffer???) and it takes 30 sec per person vs. right through the WTMD in the other lines.

It shouldn't be bad, the key is to be strategic with your line selection. Feel free to bail out of one an into another if it turns out to be amateur hour in one.

I had a very different experience around 20 December. The line was very long. They allowed first class/elites to the "front of the line" where the ID/boarding pass screeners were. They then broke it up into three even lines, and there was about a 30 minute wait from there, but it did save me about 20 minutes or so. And, this was for the 0730 DTW flight. So, I would say be there very early as NWA has about 3 or 4 flights prior to 0730, and ATA, Midwest, and Airtran (I believe) also have flights leaving in the early morning.

By the way, the man behind me in line originally missed his flight, I believe.

This tends to be one of the busier time at terminal A in DCA. There are many flights first thing in the AM. I think average at this time of day ( assume your friend is at security 1 hour ahead of boarding) is about 20 minutes.

DCA still has some of the shortest wait times for security, although as previously stated Terminal A can take the longest. Definitly heed what thezipper has said about the puffer, I really can't stand the thing, especially when TSA makes little kids who are frightened out of the mind walk through without their parents. Makes me angry every time.

As for Silver upgrades out of DCA, it has become really hit or miss for me in 2006. Morning tends to be one of the harder times to score an upgrade, as is early evening, but there is always a chance. The DTW flights in late morning or early afternoon have been the best for me out of DCA in 2006.

DCA Terminal A
 

The waits out of Terminal A usually aren't bad, but I would show up about an hour ahead of time for a 7:30 flight just in case. There have been some weeks where lines are almost hour long, and I can never reliably predict when they will occur (outside of the standard Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break time frames). I would say a Silver's chance at an upgrade is about 60-70%. I usually made the upgrade back when I was Silver.

This site, from the DHS/TSA, may help you estimate which times have a longer waiting time than others:

http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov/stateResolver?state=DC

I go through the A terminal security lines weekly. BE CAREFUL if you/your friend is traveling on an early flight! There are NW, AirTran and Spirit departures in the 6-7am hour and security lines can be very, very long. I have seen the line go right out the front door--especially on Friday mornings. I have started arriving an hour before departure if I'm on the early flights. Elite/first will get you ahead of some of the crowd, but sometimes your entry point is still deep in the line (I guess n/a to your friend).

I have been quite surprised with the short lines only an hour or so later though. Also note that the right-hand lane has one of the sniffers that blasts you with air in hopes of finding a bomb just in front of the metal detector. This line may move more slowly as there is a wait time while the machine decides whether to electrocute you or not--I mean while it tests the air just blown across your body for signs of explosives.