Over the past 30 days, I’ve traveled on 3 separate occasions.
This means I went through TSA a total of 6 times. First I want to give a big THANK YOU to all the employees that showed up and did their job. I greatly appreciate you all!
TSA agents help to keep us safe, they are essential for air travel.
With all the news about the TSA wait times, I wanted to share my 3 separate experiences and give an honest overview of my travel this month.
I have TSA pre-check, so I use the TSA Pre-check line for all my traveling during these trips.
First trip was from AUS to ORD (Austin, Tx to Chicago, O’hare both ways)
We had a morning departure from AUS main terminal. Our flight was on 8 March 2026, at 8am.
We arrived at the airport at 5:45am, with plenty of time to get through the TSA Pre-check line.
It took about 20 minutes in total to get through TSA Pre-check.
Our return flight was from ORD on 12 March 2026, at 12:45pm.
We arrived at the airport at 11:15am, and I was worried we were going to be close to time.
It took only 15 minutes to get through the TSA Pre-check line.
Second trip was from AUS to BNA and CHS (Austin to Nashville, and then Charleston)
We had an early morning departure from AUS main terminal. Our flight was on 17 March 2026 at 6:40am.
We arrived extra early at 3:30am, fearing long lines, however the TSA Pre-check line was about 20 minutes in total to get through.
Our return flight was from CHS on 19 March 2026 at 1:25pm.
We arrived at the airport at 11:20am and got through the TSA Pre-check line in 15 minutes.
Third trip was from AUS to BWI and PVD (Austin to Baltimore and then Providence)
We had another early morning flight departing AUS main terminal. Our flight was on 2 April 2026 at 5:30am.
We arrived at 3:45am and walked right through the TSA Pre-check line. It took 2 minutes. There were 5 people in line.
Our return flight from PVD on 5 April 2026 was scheduled to depart at 12:30. We arrived at the airport at 10am and got through the TSA Pre-check line in 5 minutes.
Things to remember:
It’s better to be early than late when traveling by airplane.
Be kind to the TSA agents, they’re just doing their jobs and are people too.
Pack accordingly and be a courteous traveler. Don’t bring more than your carry-on and small personal item when boarding a plane. I saw so many people abusing the rules. Check your luggage if you have oversized baggage, or are in flight groups 6-7-8.
If you don’t have TSA Pre-check, plan an extra hour prior to your BOARDING time, just to be safe. Don’t plan to arrive 2 hours before departure. For most airlines boarding is 20-30 minutes before takeoff.
Some of the standard lines for TSA were a bit longer at every location we traveled from.
That being said, our TSA experiences were all efficient. I did have to remove my heart Timberland boots because they always set off the scanner. They have thick heeled soles.
Also my bag was pulled because I was traveling with a battery pack. Just follow the rules and be nice.
Safe travels!