'Such a Mess!' O'Hare and Midway Travelers Voice Frustration
By Wendy Widom
(CBS) — Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports will likely never be described as tranquil oases. But long lines and crowded terminals in recent days have made departing from the Windy City even more aggravating.
We asked travelers who have visited O'Hare and Midway recently to describe the experience. (Lightly edited for grammar.)
My boyfriend and I were visiting family in Chicago, and we arrived at the airport last night a little more than two hours before our flight home to Seattle. We missed our flight and so did everyone around us. We have not been refunded for it and had to go through another airline to get a flight home because Frontier's only other flight would get us back Tuesday. We are lucky to have been able to come back and stay at my parents' in Mount Prospect, but a lot of folks would be sleeping there. Such a mess! Also, there were very few personnel guiding the lines and lots of cutting.
Kate S.
Seattle, WAGet to security. We were in line over 90 mins. As we were getting closer to the inner bowels of the line, I kept hearing the TSA agents complain that the airlines opened up so many more flights, how are they supposed to do their job? I wanted to say I hate working for others too, but I don't complain about my job to the general public and do it as efficiently as possible.
As I was nearing the belt (had stroller, 2 kids and 3 bags), other passengers tried pushing around me because they were going to miss their flight. I reminded them very sternly that I was in the same boat as them. (I used to fly often. Even with two kids, I get through security as fast as I would if I was flying solo). Then I had to keep screaming at TSA to get my stroller and why not wait for all of my belongings to do their BS screening. They were wasting time and I was going to miss my flight.
I finally got through and threw kids in the stroller, didn't even have time to put my shoes on to run to the bathroom before my three year old was going to have an accident. We were within the last five people to get on the plane. On the way back I got to the airport four hours early for a 7:00 am flight (my poor kids). I was through the line and security at Logan in 15 minutes. Why Chicago cannot get its act together is beyond me!
Lori S.
Chicago, ILMy son was going back to college after Passover and got to the airport two hours early to return to Boston. He did not make it to the front of the line in those two hours despite asking people to cut to make the flight (no one accommodated). He ran through with no shoes, no belt and his bag and guitar to get to the gate when he saw that they had delayed his flight three hours! There is no way to even know that information because as you're standing in line there are no boards for flight updates and it wasn't updated online until right before takeoff time. So frustrating!
Sara K.
Evanston, IL
TSA released a statement this morning: "TSA's primary focus is the current threat environment, as the American transportation system remains a high value target for terrorists. Our strong economy means air carriers are enjoying record travel volume, which is resulting in heavier than normal volumes of travelers at our nation's airports – some with double digit increases over last summer."
The agency also says it plans to accelerate the hiring of 768 TSA officers that was previously scheduled to take place in October.
