Don’t get here so early

Images endless security lines Frustrating stories about flights and missed flights at U.S. airports are forcing panic-stricken travelers to arrive well ahead of their departures. However, some airports waiting times We tell manageable travelers to stop arriving so early.

John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, says there are early birds; Funding impasse on Capitol Hill This creates crowded security checkpoints; It makes matters worse by creating bottlenecks during peak times.

“Arriving too early may actually result in longer lines at opening,” the airport said in a statement on social media on Thursday. “Separating arrival times helps things go smoothly for everyone.”

The airport even created a chart showing when to arrive: “90 minutes before departure is all you need.”

But here’s what’s confusing for air travelers: it’s hard to guess Which airports will be disrupted next by security lines spilling out of terminals?

The government shutdown has strained Transportation Security Administration staff and pushed checkpoint wait times to more than two hours at some major airports. George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston biggest blockage for passengers with a four-hour security line.

These are by far the worst-case scenarios. Many airports, such as Ohio’s, are seeing wait times comparable to normal wait times. That’s why airlines say the best advice for travelers right now is to check TSA wait times before scheduled departures.

In some ways, it’s a bit reminiscent of the “” days. panic buying ” In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“It’s human nature. You have no control over what happens at the airport,” said Shari Botwin, a Philadelphia clinical social worker who counsels people about anxiety.

“There’s a lot of media attention on the chaos at airports,” he said. “When someone says, ‘Well, you don’t have to leave early anymore,’ they may not trust.”

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Associated Press reporter Ed White in Detroit contributed.