MIDLAND, TX (KWES) - Flights out of Midland are usually carefree, but people have been dealing with overcrowding during peak flying times.
The crowding creates hassles for passengers and airport security, but soon there will be an expansion to that area for easier flying.
"It's going to really kind of change the whole footprint of the airport when you walk in," said Justine Ruff, Director of Airports. "Probably the last five or six years it's been an issue for us."
Ruff says, the TSA line is the biggest issue. It typically gets packed early in the morning, so much so, that the designated area is overflowing onto the escalator.
"People are forced to stop at the the top of the escalator and hope nobody comes up behind them or eventually someone will go down and shut the escalator off and people actually wait on the escalator," said Ruff.
On Tuesday, the Midland City Council approved the airport to look for bids on this expansion to the TSA area.
"The flooring will come back behind the elevator and there will be a bridge from that area over the escalator to the current cuing area. It adds a third to the cuing space that we have."
The plan is to a bridge instead of going down the escalator, people will file out the TSA area and across the bridge, making the area less crowded and hopefully lower confusion among flyers.
The project has been in the works for a year now. The airport expects construction to start in the fall.
"It'll be an easier flow in and out," said Ruff. "It'll be a little daunting for a while, but once the project is complete, it will be better for everyone."
The TSA line will remain in the same area during construction.
