February 09, 2018
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
The Philadelphia International Airport.
A spokeswoman for the Philadelphia International Airport says photos of long lines to go through security Friday morning are a "little misleading," adding there hasn't been an influx of passengers because of the Eagles' Super Bowl parade Thursday.
The photos circulating on social media showed travelers waiting to get checked by TSA agents before getting on their flights. One Twitter user wrote: "500,000 miles and I've never seen the security line at the airport like this. If you are flying today go mega early."
The @PHLAirport security line this morning... stretches from the TSA corral the whole way to the parking garage entrance... Did anyone let them know there were MILLIONS of people at the #EaglesParade yesterday?? Might want to open up a few security lanes... just sayin.
— Janelle Renee (@Nelly2278) February 9, 2018
Huge lines at #PHLairport!Terminal C Pre-check only!Line for Terminal B goes 2 parking garage!! @PHLAirport @FOX29philly @JennFredFOX29 pic.twitter.com/hSQap55TwJ
— JLRYE (@hoopswisher) February 9, 2018
500,000 miles and I've never seen the security line at the airport like this. If you are flying today go mega early. pic.twitter.com/kTYHBTS0t0
— Couch Correspondent 🦅 (@notkerouac) February 9, 2018
But Diane Gerace, spokeswoman for the airport, said "they see this all the time."
"They're nothing out of the ordinary for a Friday," Gerace said of the lines. "It looks like they're going to take forever. They actually move pretty quickly."
Gerace said the airport gets hourly reports on wait times from the TSA, and Friday's wasn't unusual.
"This is not due to the parade," she said. "Those photos, a lot of times when you see them they look a lot worse than they are."
She added that lines at B terminal, where the photos appear to have been taken, tend to be longer because travelers flying out of C terminal who don't have pre-check status have to go to B for security.Â
Last weekend was a little different because extra flights were added to get Eagles fans from Philadelphia to Minneapolis, so there was an increase in the volume of travelers.
"That was directly associated with the Super Bowl. There were more people than usual," Gerace said.
As for any shenanigans by rowdy Eagles fans, Gerace said they haven't been made aware of any significant incidents.
