Long Lines At Airports Prompt Change In Travel Plans

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – As Congress looks into long lines at airport security checkpoints,  they're hearing things aren't going to get better soon.

Airport managers told Congress Thursday morning that lines at security checkpoints are long and the problem is only getting worse.

"Passenger wait times were consistently 60 minutes or more. Airline passengers have reported wait times as high as 120 minutes with thousands of passengers missing flights," said Lydia Beairsto with the City of Chicago Dept. of Aviation.

Many Americans said they're planning to skip those long lines for Memorial Day weekend.

A new poll shows more than 20 percent of people planning to fly before Labor Day have changed or cancelled their plans because of concerns about long lines at airports.

Related: Half A Million Travelers Expected At MIA This Weekend

The problem stems from a frustrating mixture of more people choosing to fly combined with fewer people to screen them at these checkpoints.

For the first five months of this year, the TSA has screened 449 million travelers - that's up 12 percent - compared to last year - with 5800 fewer TSA screeners than 2011.

"It appears TSA did not adjust its staffing model after screening protocols were changed," said Kerry Philipovitch, Sr. VP of Customer Experience at American Airlines

Philipovitch says in addition to angry customers, the long lines are causing carriers to lose money.

"We are committing millions of dollars to fund non-security functions like bin running and que management so TSA's can focus solely on screening customers," said Philipovitch.

Airlines recommend passengers show up at least two hours prior to departure to give time to get through security.

Travel experts say that even with the long lines, there is expected to be a five to ten percent increase in airline travel this summer.