TSA officials in Chicago say there’s something airline passengers can do to help reduce long wait times. Passengers in Chicago and nationwide are growing increasingly frustrated over spending hours in line to get through security. TSA spokesman Mark Howell says part of the problem is low staffing and the high number of passengers.
But Howell also says it’s passengers carrying items like guns, knives and even bottled water that can increase wait times by up to 6 minutes.
"I’m not blaming passengers. It is volume. In some circumstances it is staffing.. A small piece of it is the prohibited items. It is all puzzle pieces to a bigger picture."
Howell says about 100-thousand passengers pass through O’Hare and Midway every day. That number is expected to jump during the Memorial holiday weekend.