Your spring break travel plans are probably cooked, Chicago
Okay so, everyone's talking about TSA PreCheck Touchless ID and all that jazz, right? Like, faster lines, more efficient, blah blah blah. Sounds great on paper, especially for those folks jetting out of O'Hare or Midway this spring break. But nah nah nah, let me explain why for us in Chicago, it's probably not gonna matter as much as you think.
### So What Does This Mean for Us?
Remember that whole thing about spring break travel already being complicated by TSA shortages and rising fuel prices? Yeah, that's our reality here. You can have all the touchless ID in the world, but if there ain't enough staff to process people or the security lines are snaking all the way back to the parking garages like they do at O'Hare during peak season, what's a fancy ID going to do? It's like putting a new coat of paint on a building that's still got a leaky roof. We're already dealing with:
* **Understaffed checkpoints:** Doesn't matter how fast your ID scans if there's only one lane open.
* **Fuel price hikes:** That plane ticket is already costing you an arm and a leg before you even get to the airport.
* **The usual Chicago traffic:** Getting to the airport is half the battle, especially trying to navigate the Dan Ryan or the Kennedy.
Honestly, for most of us, especially the working-class families trying to get out of town for a bit, these newfangled ID systems feel like they're for someone else. We're worried about if we can even afford the flight, or if we'll miss it because the L broke down again. It's another one of those things that sounds good in theory, but the *real* issues for Chicago travelers are way more basic. You can't touchless ID your way out of a staffing crisis or sky-high prices.
Chi-Town on the wire — you already know.
Catch my full rants every morning with the crew; it's always a good time over at mornings.live.