Michigan Travelers: How To Skip Long TSA Lines This Holiday Season

While it is the happiest and cheeriest season of the year, your mood may change once you have to start traveling.

Get ready for the longest airport security lines ever!

Between now until New Year's, TSA announced that they are expecting nearly 40-million people to go through security screenings across the nation.

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That's roughly 2 and a half million more people than this time last year! Insane, right?

The agency is predicting that the worst of it will begin on Thursday December 19th. If you are traveling on January 2nd, you are in for a headache as well.

Michigan TSA Tips To Get Through Faster

⬇️ READ BELOW:19 Items Absolutely Banned from Checked Bags at the Grand Rapids Airport ⬇️

For the next few weeks, Gerald R. Ford International Airport and all other airports across the country will be flooded with people.

So, if you want to avoid these traveling induced headaches, TSA has a few tips that should help your airport stop go smoothly.

1. Pack Smarter Not Harder

If you start off with an empty bag, you are less likely to bring banned items to the checkpoint.

"Remember, if you can spill it, spray it, spread it, pump it or pour it, then it is a liquid and must be packed in your checked bag."

Visit our “What Can I Bring?” page for more details.

2. Arrive early (DUH!)

As of a rule of thumb, you should always arrive at the airport with enough time to park, get to the terminal, check any necessary bags, security, etc.

TSA suggest that you "plan to arrive at least two hours prior to your flight’s scheduled boarding time."

If you are on an international flight, TSA recommends arriving at least three hours before your boarding time.

3. Bring An Acceptable ID.

Before you leave your home for the airport, make sure you and your entire family have acceptable identification.

If you do not have a REAL ID, you need to have it to fly by May 7, 2025.

For more details on how you can get a REAL ID in Michigan, you can click here.

4. Prepare, Pack & Declare Your Firearm 

It may be for the best to leave it at home. However, if you plan to travel with a firearm, you must properly pack the firearm in a hard-sided, locked case in your checked luggage and declare it with the airline while checking in at the airline ticket counter.

Bringing a firearm in your carry-on bag to a TSA checkpoint, even if it is by accident, would be super expensive and will cause delays for you and others.

"TSA may impose a civil penalty up to almost $15,000 for the first offense, and those who bring a firearm to a security checkpoint will lose TSA PreCheck® eligibility for five years. Second violations will result in permanent disqualification from the program and additional civil penalties."

5. Get TSA PreCheck.

As a lover of TSA PreCheck, it makes my life simpler.

All you need to make sure your  Known Traveler Number (KTN) is in your airline reservation, so it appears on their boarding pass.

Wait time standards for TSA PreCheck lanes are under 10 minutes, whereas standard screening lanes are 30 minutes and under.

Visit www.tsa.gov/precheck for more information on enrolling with one of TSA’s three enrollment providers.

6. Call Ahead For Passenger Support

If you need assistance due to disabilities, medical conditions or simply need general additional screening assistance, you must request passenger assistance at least 72 hours in advance by contacting our TSA Cares passenger support line at (855) 787-2227.

For more tips and tricks, head over TSA's website.