United Airlines is piloting a new feature on its app that allows customers to track security wait times on their phone. The company announced Wednesday that the new feature tracks wait times at the airline’s hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Although some airports are seeing improvements since President Donald Trump signed an executive action to pay Transportation Security Administration agents during an ongoing, currently 48-day Department of Homeland Security shutdown, many airports are still facing long lines and have not returned to normal operations. More than 450 officers quit while they were working without pay.
United spokesperson Jason Birnbaum said in a news release Wednesday that the new app feature will make it easier for customers to navigate the ongoing shutdown: “Our customers rely on our mobile app for all their travel needs, and this new feature lets them know what to expect and better plan their trip.”
TSA has its own wait time app, MyTSA, but it has not been fully functional in recent weeks due to the government shutdown. TSA did not immediately respond to request for comment about when the app would be fully operational.