South Florida airport wait times, while often longer than normal, are not anywhere near the three-to-four-hour delays occurring at other sites throughout the country. But that may change as more than 400 Transportation Security Administration workers have quit, rather than work for free. And additional resignations are expected.
Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents have been dispatched to numerous airports across the country, including Miami. TSA union officials, though, say they have been of little help since they are not trained in airport security. An agreement to end the shutdown remains elusive.
According to the website Flightqueue.com, the average TSA wait time at 272 surveyed airports on Thursday, March 26, at 11 a.m. was 15 minutes.
Here are the TSA wait times at PBIA, Fort Lauderdale and Miami
Palm Beach International Airport (PBIA): 8 minutes
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL): 15 to 30 minutes
Miami International Airport, (MIA): 15 minutes; Immigration: 45-plus minutes
Flight cancellations at South Florida airports
According to Flightaware.com, there were 30 cancellations at South Florida’s three major airports during the past 24 hours.
Palm Beach International Airport (PBIA), 8
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), 17
Miami International Airport, (MIA), 9
Airport officials advise that passengers should arrive at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights to allow time for check-in and TSA screening. Check with your airline for updates and allow extra travel time.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: TSA wait times at South Florida airports including PBI, FLL and Miami
Reporting by Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
