Travel Like A Speedy Newyorkers. How to Make Quick Trips Through Airport Security?

As a busy New Yorker, you don’t have time to waste in long lines at the airport. Even when you’re traveling for pleasure, detours at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints can bottleneck your itinerary. But by following a few simple tips your trips through airport security will be as fast and smooth as possible.

Dress to impress the metal detectors. Leave your loose change and heavy jewelry at home, and slip your keys into your carry-on bag before approaching security. Adults must remove their shoes; wear a pair that’s easy to slip off—and don’t forget your socks.

Travel-size your toiletries. If you need to carry on shampoo, aerosols, lotions or other personal items, pay attention to TSA guidelines: All such liquids must be in a 3.4-ounce container (or smaller), and all your containers must fit into one sealed, 1-quart clear zip-top bag.

Keep your carry-on organized. Your laptop will be screened separately, so make sure you can quickly slip it out. And try to tame your collection of phone chargers by neatly wrapping cords so they aren’t loose in your bag.  

Sign up for TSA PreCheck. If you qualify for this program (and pay the enrollment fees), you will be assigned a known traveler number and be allowed to speed through expedited-screening lines without unpacking your laptop or removing your shoes, belt or jacket. The interview sometimes can be as far as 45 days out. At the interview they take your biometrics and then send you on your way. It takes about a month to get the results of your interview. You will get a letter and an email if you are accepted.

You can also look online for a status update. At the moment the PreCheck program is active in about 118 U.S. airports on 11 airlines. That list is growing all the time. The current airlines are Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways and Virgin America.

Security checkpoints are a necessary hassle of air travel. But by packing smart and being aware of TSA guidelines, you can make quick work of the lines and begin your journey right on time.