Airport security line waits up slightly

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Wait times at security lines at U.S. airports rose slightly in 2007 on average despite some airports seeing significantly longer waits, records show.

As airports prepared for this year's holiday travel crush, a review of federal and private air travel data by the Gannett News Service revealed Wednesday that on average, it took 21 more seconds to reach security checkpoints in U.S. airports last year compared to 2006. That bumped the average wait time to 11 1/2 minutes.

Some airports, however, didn't fare quite so well. Additional wait times at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, for instance, rose 7 minutes to 16 1/2 minutes, with 28 other airports also reporting longer wait times in 2007 -- an average of about 2 1/2 minutes longer.

Among the airports reporting the most improved times were the Norman Mineta San Jose International Airport and the John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., Gannett said.

On the other end of the spectrum, the longest average security-related wait time in 2007 was at Miami International Airport, where travelers waited almost 22 minutes on average.