Nasty security line in TPA Gate E
Jul 16, 2010 | 2:33 pm
#16
Join Date: Nov 2007
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I usually get to the airport an hour before the flight and the longest wait time ever was 35-minutes. And that was on a Monday following a Bucks-Falcons game. I am floored to read of wait times north of 45-minutes. Never experienced any of that and love TPA for the ease of getting through security. LAS, LAX--different stories.
Jul 16, 2010 | 2:37 pm
#17
Join Date: Sep 2005
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Having experienced TPA...the line seems to be either 1min or north of 60min. The TSA should be expected to show level of control over the experience of those being screened. Variable lines are to be expected, the huge variations you see at some airports like TPA and IAD are related to the inability of TSA to effectively staff positions at the necessary times.
Jul 16, 2010 | 2:44 pm
#18
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Sunny Florida
Posts: 637
agree that the double check is retarded, but I'm pretty sure the first check is not done by TSA. They're not wearing TSA uniforms. take notice next time.
Jul 16, 2010 | 2:56 pm
#19
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Right, not TSA. Though I'm not sure what the big issue is. It's not like you have to wait more than 10 seconds to have your ID checked the first time around...
Jul 16, 2010 | 3:25 pm
#20
Join Date: Jun 2008
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I've been in two back-ups over the past five or six years. Once AirTran, once DL. It's like a flash-crowd thing. Both times it was due to TSA issues. Another time it was shift-change and we got stuck waiting while the line got longer and longer behind us.
Jul 16, 2010 | 3:55 pm
#21
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I was past the tram and in line by 7am for an 8am flight. Others around me were panicked as it did take 25-30 minutes to get through, and certainly looked like it might take even longer. The line literally zig-zagged from the front of the tram exit area to the back, then forward, then back, then forward, then back, then forward, then into the line to check ID, then split into 4-5 lines for screening bags and people. I made my flight with about 15 minutes to spare and even had time for a baileys/coffee. Twas like being in line for the Jungle Cruise.
Jul 16, 2010 | 4:13 pm
#22
Join Date: Apr 2006
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The fact of the matter is I show up about 45 minutes before flights at many major airports, including even LGA and always make flights. I arrive at TPA an hour before the flight, and about 10% of the time, I will probably miss the flight. At some point, when you are spending a significant portion of your commute time on the ground not going anywhere you start questioning why you would ever use that airport - even if it only happens 10% of the time.
Jul 16, 2010 | 4:30 pm
#24
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And I consistently arrive at TPA 30-35 minutes before departure, and have yet to miss a flight. Ever. And that's 100+ flights per year for the past several years.
Jul 16, 2010 | 4:38 pm
#25
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It's not. It has never taken me more than ten seconds to get past the initial ID checker before getting on the tram. I've never had more than one or two people in front of me.
And I consistently arrive at TPA 30-35 minutes before departure, and have yet to miss a flight. Ever. And that's 100+ flights per year for the past several years.
And I consistently arrive at TPA 30-35 minutes before departure, and have yet to miss a flight. Ever. And that's 100+ flights per year for the past several years.
And I've seen them open up that area to the left with additional scanners, but not this morning.
Aug 12, 2010 | 6:43 pm
#26
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Aug 12, 2010 | 6:57 pm
#27
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It's not. It has never taken me more than ten seconds to get past the initial ID checker before getting on the tram. I've never had more than one or two people in front of me.
And I consistently arrive at TPA 30-35 minutes before departure, and have yet to miss a flight. Ever. And that's 100+ flights per year for the past several years.
And I consistently arrive at TPA 30-35 minutes before departure, and have yet to miss a flight. Ever. And that's 100+ flights per year for the past several years.
As for me, I get to the AP about 1.5 to 2 hours before my flight. I would rather watch a lot of other folk's flights leave than get there just in time to watch mine.
Aug 12, 2010 | 9:13 pm
#28
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Not sure what was up today, but they had to close down one of the trams because the security was backed up and snaked around the tram on the left side, with the line zig-zagging back and forth 6 or 7 times. It took 25 minutes to get through..and that was making sure I was nowhere near the full body scanner lines.
The better question is who is doing that first check and why.
Aug 13, 2010 | 12:38 pm
#29
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Greensboro
Programs: TSA
Posts: 2,496
I feel your pain.
The way security is set up in TPA, it can go very wrong very quickly. I once barely made an AirTran flight for the same reason. By the time I got through security, the door was about to close. There was still a long line of people waiting to go through security and the plane was half empty, so I'm sure many people wound up missing the flight.
There needs to be a better way than having six different individual concourse security points that cannot do overflow for one-another. Heck, GSO built an addition for all the extra security lines that they don't need. (Almost all the gates on that side of the airport are empty. Three times in the past month - each time I've flown out of there - I've been the only person going through security. I think there are six scanners, but only one line is ever open.) TPA should do the same.
The way security is set up in TPA, it can go very wrong very quickly. I once barely made an AirTran flight for the same reason. By the time I got through security, the door was about to close. There was still a long line of people waiting to go through security and the plane was half empty, so I'm sure many people wound up missing the flight.
There needs to be a better way than having six different individual concourse security points that cannot do overflow for one-another. Heck, GSO built an addition for all the extra security lines that they don't need. (Almost all the gates on that side of the airport are empty. Three times in the past month - each time I've flown out of there - I've been the only person going through security. I think there are six scanners, but only one line is ever open.) TPA should do the same.
Aug 13, 2010 | 1:08 pm
#30
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: FLL
Posts: 393
I do like the newer setup here at GSO, the old ones were miserable, the lanes were tiny and some of the WTMD had floors that moved when you walked through! We have actually had a bit more traffic here the last 3 months (you know, summer and the conventions). Isn't it nice to come through GSO though? Not very much in the way of pushing, arguing, waiting - a nice quick little trip through.
Only problem I have with GSO is that it's really expensive, especially when compared to RDU.