More Traffic At Will Rogers Airport Leads To Longer Security Lines

Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City has seen a steady rise in passenger traffic in the last year. And while that's good news for the airport and the city, it can mean extra time in security lines for morning travelers.

Airport spokesperson Karen Carney says because airlines have added new destinations, more seats and additional flights, passenger traffic in March was up nearly 7 percent over 2011. That's the eleventh consecutive month of positive gains.

Because there are more travelers, security lines are longer at Will Rogers World Airport, especially at the peak time between 5:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Recently, it has taken some passengers and tour groups 30 minutes to 50 minutes to get through security checkpoints during the peak period. Carney says that means passengers really should arrive at least 90 minutes before their scheduled departure time.

"We are seeing more passengers in the early morning time frame than we did a year ago. In fact, about one quarter of the total daily passengers are processed in that hour-and-a-half period."

"People are arriving 45 minutes before their 6:30am flight and hoping to breeze through the checkpoint," said Carney. "Passengers should not count on that. In recent weeks we have seen numerous people miss flights. "

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Carney says there will be even more travel options for passengers as the summer vacation season begins. Frontier Airlines will be adding another non-stop flight to Denver beginning in May; Southwest Airlines will be adding new non-stop service to Chicago Midway in June; and depending on a ruling by the Department of Transportation, non-stop service to Ronald Reagan Washington National on Southwest Airlines may be initiated in late summer.