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How Atlanta's airport moves 300K passengers safely
The Christmas travel rush is on with millions on the move for this year's holidays. The FAA says nearly 50,000 flights will crisscross the nation’s airspace Thursday. Some of those flights have made their way through Atlanta. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport might just be the busiest crossroads for flights.
ATLANTA - The race to get out for the holidays is on. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is packed with passengers, but the Transportation Security Administration line tells a different story.
"So far it seems to be moving right along," said David Lorenzatti.
Depending on the day and time of year, the TSA says it can screen up to 32,000 travelers between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m.
"Standing in line having to go through security, that’s the worst part," said Chris Glynn.
To help make the process better and keep travelers informed, the airport has invested in technology to estimate TSA wait times using sensors on the ceiling.
Robert Spinden is Georgia’s TSA Federal Security Director. He says this is not their technology, but it benefits everyone.
"When you’re at the airport, you can look at the wait times, and then you know, it may look long, but you can see exactly what the wait time is," he said.
FOX 5 Reporter Tyler Fingert tested the wait time estimator. Before getting in line, he said the wait was 19 minutes, but it only took 17 to get to the front of the line. The airport says the wait time estimator looks at the time it takes to get your ID checked.
Xovis is the company behind the technology. It says it strives to make sure it is accurate for travelers.
"Makes a huge psychological difference whether you see a long line, and you freak out about missing your flight," said Florian Eggenschwiler, the Xovis Chief Product Officer. "You see on a screen, it's a 25-minute wait time, which is long, but at least you can calculate that you're not going to miss your flight."
It is nice to know the wait time estimator is accurate, but the TSA and the airport stress, do not rely on this because things can change quickly.
You can find the wait time website here: https://www.atl.com/times/