Date: February 16, 2012
Wichita Mid-Continent Airport officials are strongly encouraging early-morning passengers to arrive at the airport two hours before their departure time and to arrive at the checkpoint at least 90 minutes before flight time.
The recommendations stem from longer lines and longer wait times that are now the norm due to recent airline schedule changes. Some recent passengers who have arrived one hour prior to their departure have missed their flights, according to airlines.
There are now 12 flights departing between 6 and 7 a.m. with 1,105 seats. Wait time has been averaging around 21 minutes between 5:30 and 6 a.m.
“If you are flying in the early morning hours, please allow enough time to park, get checked in at the ticket counter and pass through security,” said Valerie Wise, Air Service and Business Development Manager. “The TSA checkpoint opens at 4:00 a.m.”
Also, to speed up the check-in process, passengers are encouraged to check-in online and print out their boarding pass before heading to the airport. If you have a boarding pass and are not checking a bag at the airline ticket counter, you can proceed directly to the TSA security checkpoint.
