Fredericton Airport to add second security lane to ease peak wait times

The Fredericton International Airport is adding a second security line to ease congestion at the security checkpoint,where the lineup can sometimes reach outside.

Construction of the new line, which has a budget of $45,000, is expected to be completed by February 2017.

Johanne Gallant, president and CEO of the Fredericton International Airport Authority, said the additional line is needed most during the airport's two peak times, which are early in the morning and around 10 a.m.

"We've seen lineups going all the way out to [the] outside and, you know, people could be waiting 40 minutes," said Gallant.

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Gallant referred questions about staffing and equipment for the second security line and the impact on wait times tothe Canadian Air Transport Security Authority. That agency hasn't responded to a request for information.

Gallant said customers will feel little impact during the construction of the second line.

"What we're doing is working around the hours that it's not peak, and we're giving ourselves enough time to be able to do it," she said.

Gallant called the move a "Band-Aid solution" until a $30 million expansion of the terminal is completed.

Hopesfor financing

She said the airport authority is still waiting to hear from the provincial and federal governments about whether they'll provide $10 million each for the expansion.

To accommodate the new security line, the airport will have to get rid of what is known as the business area, where travellers can work while they wait for flights.

"We're going to take that out and put [in] more seats and try to maximize that space," Gallant said. "It's going tobe crowded but for now, this will take care of the solution,also while we wait to move forward with the full construction of the terminal expansion project."

Although the business centre has been a useful area, Gallant said shortening wait times takes precedence.

"We have to maximize the space in the whole room," she said.