TSA wait times at Logan Airport in Boston now being tested with new technology
TSA wait times at Logan Airport in Boston haven't been as bad as other airports around the country during the partial government shutdown. But Massport is starting to use new technology to help passengers keep track of TSA lines at the airport.
They've hired an outside company to develop a new wait time system that's now being tested in terminal B.
"A third party vendor is using camera analytics to time bodies going through the TSA line. The cameras do not capture male/ female or faces or clothing- only that a shape is moving in line. From that information it creates an average estimated wait time," Massport spokesperson Benjamin Crawley told CBS News Boston in an email Wednesday.
TSA wait time technology
As they use it in terminal B, Massport is testing the accuracy of the system.
Crawley said they plan to "roll it out to all terminals in about a month or so."
Once that happens, the information will be posted on flight screens inside the terminals, on Logan Airport's website and on Massport's FlyLogan app.
There are growing concerns about the rising number of TSA officers calling in sick across the country because they're not getting paid during the shutdown. Hundreds of TSA officers have quit. That's creating long security lines at airports nationwide.
Logan Airport is currently not one of them.
"At this time we aren't seeing any staffing issues, and we will notify the public if we start to," Crawley said.
"So far so good"
One passenger Wednesday said it was smooth, adding, "So far so good. We've been lucky,"
The lines have been normal, surprising passengers. Still, it's been a worry for parents with kids heading to spring break.
"She actually called me and said you need to get to the airport like five hours early. She also called me while we were still sitting at my apartment and I didn't want to tell her I wasn't here," said Courtney Chapman, who joked that she ducked her mother's phone call as she got ready to leave for Florida.
"I literally just checked my bag in under 30 seconds," Chapman's friend added.
TSA Union AFGE Local 2617 president Mike Gayzagian said it's not a coincidence that things are going smoothly at Logan Airport.
"A lot of it is based on the efforts of the union and the management to encourage people to continue coming to work," Gayzagian said.
He said local credit unions have jumped in to support workers, and businesses have brought in donations and gift cards.
"Our loss is probably not as bad as other cities. Essentially, we're probably losing between one and two people a day since the shutdown started. A lot of it is because people just never really recovered from the last shutdown," Gayzagian said.
Here is a table showing TSA wait times at major airports:
