In Fact, Waiting Times Haven't Changed Much From Last Year

There are two ways to take the news that the recently implemented changes to the Transportation Security Administration's screening procedures haven't resulted in shorter, quicker lines at the airport: you can be upset over the fact you're likely to be in line for about five minutes, on average... or you can thank your lucky stars it's not even longer than that.

In a statement Tuesday, TSA officials said changes implemented last week -- allowing some previously banned items onboard, as well as calling for increased random searches -- didn't noticeably affect screening times at the nation's 40 busiest airports over the recent holiday travel period, according to CNN.

In other words, while wait times at security checkpoints haven't decreased, as was promised when the TSA announced the change -- they didn't go up, either.

As was reported in Aero-News, the TSA claimed prior to the changes allowing small tools and scissors to be carried aboard in carry-on baggage, as much as 1/4 of a screener's time was spent searching for such items. The agency claimed by allowing those items onboard, the time saved would result in faster checkpoint times for passengers. That hasn't happened.

During the recent holiday travel period, peak wait times of just over 13 minutes were common, with an average wait time of about five minutes -- almost identical to what they were in 2004, according to the TSA.

The agency hasn't gathered figures on how many additional random pat-down searches -- to screen for items that could potentially be used to build an improvised explosive device -- have been performed since the changes went into effect, according to CNN.

FMI: www.tsa.gov