Airlines Stand in Line to Address Issue of Delays

Airlines are taking some measures to respond to travelers’ anxiety about security delays at the airport.

United Airlines last week began listing on its Web site, www.united.com, the estimated wait times in security lines at the airports it flies to. It also lists peak traffic times and the ticket counter hours.

When checked last week, peak hours for LAX were listed as 6:30 to 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 8 to 9 p.m. on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Waits during peak times were listed as “40 plus minutes.” LAX had far more high-traffic times than average, although its peak wait time matched such locations as Honolulu, Oakland and New York’s JFK. No delay at any airport was listed as longer than “40 plus minutes.”

The list provides general guidelines, said Chris Brathwaite, a United spokesman. Holiday peak times will be different. “We do suggest [passengers] call their local airport to get specific wait times on the day they’re traveling,” Brathwaite said. To find the list on the Web site, click on “Airport Services” under “Travel Support,” then choose “United Airport Check-in Information.”

Meanwhile, Northwest recently announced it was cutting back the length of time it recommends customers arrive at the airport for domestic flights. Usually set at 11/2 hours, the time was lengthened to 2 hours after the Sept. 11 attacks. It has since been dropped twice, back to 11/2 hours and then to 1 hour, 15 minutes--the lowest level in the company’s history, Northwest said. It attributed the drop to new checkpoint lanes and more customers doing self-service check-in at airport kiosks and on the Internet.