Travel Tips

Travel Tip: Picking A Security Line at the Airport

airportDo you ever think about America’s love affair with…the line?

Why do we always seem to end up on the slowest moving line at airport or hotel check-in, or security?

It has to do with something called queuing theory—it explains why there’s probably no way we can always be in the fastest moving line.

All it takes is one small hiccup—a traveler who can’t find his ID—or has too many bags that weigh too much—to have a domino effect on the entire line.

It always seems there’s another line moving faster than yours.

So what can we do about it? Some of it has to do with timing.

Airports tend to be less crowded between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Hotels tend to be very crowded during those times (people checking in and checking out), so timing is key. So is awareness.

When picking a line at the airport, look at your fellow passengers .

How many have bags? Pick the security line in which the passengers have the fewest bags.

At security, here’s my tried and true rule: Don’t go by the length of the line at all.

Go by how many TSA officers are looking at the computer monitors.

If there’s only one officer, pick that line.

If there are two, chances are they’re training one of them, and every bag gets stopped.

For more information about airport security, check out:

Keep reading for more travel tips.