Will you be flying soon? The United app can now show you TSA wait times

As the lockdown drags on, the chaos at the airport that you will be all too aware of is a complex problem when you are preparing to travel. The long lines are a test of patience, but more importantly, it’s difficult to know exactly how long the wait will be and whether it will mean you’ll miss your flight. There’s not much United can do to speed up the process, but now it’s trying to make it a little less of a guessing game with a new mobile app feature that shows estimated TSA wait times at its U.S. hub airports.

As described in a Press releaseairline says new tracker already rolling out in the Travel section of the United app for passengers flying through its hub airports in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, DC. Shows estimated wait times for different security lanes, including standard screening and TSA PreCheck.

That means you should be able to get a rough idea of ​​where you are before joining the line and, in some cases, choose the quickest option if more than one lane is available. United says estimates are updated throughout the day, though it also notes that actual wait times may vary from what the app shows.

The moment is not random. United was clear that the feature is being introduced amid ongoing uncertainty over the Department of Homeland Security’s partial shutdown, which has impacted TSA staffing and salaries in recent weeks. TSA workers have begun receiving back pay, but the overall financial situation is not yet fully resolved.

This isn’t the kind of update that will make the airport security process less painful, but it could at least make it a little less of a black box. If it saves you from arriving a little early and missing your flight, that’s enough to be useful.