Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is in Broward County, Florida. The airport is an important part of the community and connects passengers to a host of destinations domestically and internationally. Unfortunately, it is extremely inefficient with its security checks, making passengers wait for ages before being cleared through.

Snail’s pace

According to Time Out, the airport is the slowest in the nation when it comes to security checks, with a security wait time of 15 minutes and 27 seconds. The airport has the longest TSA security line of any airport in the US, according to a study conducted by SOAX, which sourced data from Qsensor.

fort lauderdale baggage carousel

Photo: YES Market Media | Shutterstock

SOAX analyzed the security wait times at 31 of the US’ largest airport hubs, each with more than 10 million passengers last year. The wait times were gathered for each hour of each day of the week, and an average was calculated. The data also allows passengers to gauge the most and least busiest times to go through security.

The top ten slowest security wait times are:

  • Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport: 15:27
  • Charlotte Douglas International Airport: 15:06
  • Los Angeles International Airport: 14:29
  • San Diego International Airport: 14:14
  • John F. Kennedy International Airport: 12:54
  • Harry Reid International Airport: 12:01
  • Austin–Bergstrom International Airport: 11:49
  • Salt Lake City International Airport: 11:39
  • San Francisco International Airport: 11:23
  • Baltimore/Washington International Airport: 10:31

The airport is the second-largest airport in South Florida, behind Miami International Airport (MIA), and a major hub for Allegiant Air, JetBlue, and Spirit Airlines. According to the data, Wednesday is the busiest day to go through security at FLL, and Monday has the least traffic.

The welcome sign at Fort Lauderdale Airport.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

If you’re flying through FLL, the fastest security times occur at two in the morning, clocking in at 34 seconds. The longest wait times are just three hours later, at five in the morning, where the wait times balloon to 24 minutes and 51 seconds.

Improvements are on the way

The good news for those lamenting FLL’s wait times is that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allocated $50 million in funding to the airport, the largest grant given to any airport nationwide. The funds will be used to improve the layout and connectivity between terminals, making it easier for passengers to travel from area to area without encountering multiple security checkpoints.

Other wait times

On the other hand, Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), one of the biggest and busiest airports in the country, had the fastest average TSA lines in the study, two minutes and eight seconds — a 13-minute and 19-second reduction over the times at FLL.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) had the second-fastest wait time, at only three minutes and 49 seconds.

More impressive is Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), the busiest airport in the US, with 10 million more passengers than its nearest competitor. On average, it had one of the shortest security lines, at six minutes and five seconds.

Related

Does TSA PreCheck Or CLEAR Provide A Better Airport Security Experience?

The US Department of Security offers several trusted traveler programs for low-risk passengers to save time in security. Its TSA PreCheck program allows passengers to go through security without removing their move shoes, laptops, liquids, belts, or light jackets. 

The CLEAR Program (which is also an enrolment provider for PreCheck) saves passengers time in a slightly different manner by verifying the traveler’s identity biometrically at a kiosk before an agent escorts the passenger directly to the front of the PreCheck or Standard security lane. 

The TSA claims wait times for PreCheck members are less than 10 minutes, while the time can vary with CLEAR. Many people also maintain memberships in both programs. Which program have you found saves you the most time at the airport?
 

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