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Kim Komando Daily Tech Update

Flying soon? 3 ways to track TSA wait times

26 Mar 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.031 - 16.622 Kim Komando

You've heard me talk a lot about consumer cellular, and there's a good reason. You can switch carriers, save money every month, and still get the same reliable coverage. Here's why I made the switch. Consumer cellular uses the same towers as the big carriers, so you're not sacrificing quality to pay less.

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16.602 - 33.905 Kim Komando

And when you call consumer cellular, you just don't get pushed to a robot or told to use an app. You speak with a real person, someone knowledgeable right here in the U.S. No bots, no scripts, no hassle. The best part, you don't pay extra to speak to a human being like some big carriers are doing now.

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34.486 - 60.278 Kim Komando

So whether you make the switch online, over the phone, or in one of their stores, you'll always work with a real person. Make the switch today and get $25 off at ConsumerCellular.com. And if you're over 50, get one line of unlimited talk, text, and data for only $35. Plus, get an additional $5 off for the first five months. That's ConsumerCellular.com. ConsumerCellular.com.

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62.3 - 81.182 Kim Komando

Right now, about one out of every ten TSA agents is calling out during the partial government shutdown. Wait times in hubs like Phoenix and Atlanta have reached five hours. Because of the chaos, the official TSA website isn't even tracking times anymore. With official wait times offline, here's your game plan. Download the Q-Sensor app.

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81.322 - 99.704 Kim Komando

It has the Add Your Time button so travelers in line can report real wait times by terminal. Check there before you ever leave for the airport. Another great app, Kayak. You know it for cheap flights, but its airport travel assistant bypasses the broken TSA website. It pulls data directly from local airport sensors and real-time travel reports.

100.145 - 123.204 Kim Komando

And if your airline offers touchless ID, just use it. Those biometric lanes are moving while everyone else is standing still. Get my free weekly AI newsletter at splashofai.com. Next up, a call for my weekend show, the Kim Commando Show. Enjoy. Hey, you know that glow that you see on people just seem to radiate health. It's not just great lighting, it's what's happening inside their body.

123.224 - 140.552 Kim Komando

And as one of the best kept secrets to looking and feeling amazing is in fact collagen. You see, as we age, our bodies naturally produce less collagen, which can lead to wrinkles, thinning hair, brittle nails, and feeling less flexible than we used to. But the good news is that you can support your body naturally. With high quality collagen from Natapath,

140.532 - 155.501 Kim Komando

You're giving your body the building blocks it needs to support smoother looking skin, stronger nails, and shinier hair. And some studies also suggest that collagen supplements may help support bone health. You see, it's not about turning back time. It's about feeling your best at any age.

155.521 - 171.064 Kim Komando

And right now, as a Kim Commando listener, you can get Natapath Collagen for just a fraction of the retail price. Plus, you get free shipping and a free gift bundle. But you have to go to this address, getnativepath.com slash Kim. That's getnativepath.com slash Kim.

Chapter 2: What are the current TSA wait times and their impact?

220.843 - 227.273 Kim Komando

I remember reading your note, because I was astounded by the number of hours of flight time that you have, 30,000, that's incredible.

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227.253 - 230.737 Byron

Well, I started when I was 14 years old. I sold a glider.

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231.137 - 231.598 Kim Komando

Oh, did you?

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231.818 - 237.324 Byron

And I got, I came out of high school with my flight instructor certificates. I was a little motivated.

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Chapter 3: How does the partial government shutdown affect TSA operations?

237.344 - 238.645 Byron

I enjoyed it way too much.

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238.965 - 241.909 Kim Komando

Wow. And so what is, what is your concern?

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242.349 - 253.581 Byron

I've seen way too many computer issues where, and it just takes a little anomaly. You get, you know, bad electron going through or whatever, power interruption, other things.

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254.135 - 277.094 Byron

And I've had communication errors as well along the way, both with voice and with some of the newer, like our CPDLC, the controller pilot data links, and other more advanced communication systems where we revert back to basically an HF radio. And then things happen. It's not perfect.

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Chapter 4: How can travelers track TSA wait times without the official website?

277.134 - 295.06 Byron

It's a man-made machine. Having two cognitively aware pilots up there that can analyze situations as they come along and solve it and make a good execution that gets you on the ground safely, that's more important. And

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Chapter 5: What is the Q-Sensor app and how does it work?

295.04 - 317.436 Byron

Doing it remotely, you lose a lot. What if the data fee is down? What if you're not getting all of the information? And there's more to it than just reading a gauge. It's looking at the overall picture along with the feel of the aircraft. And that tells a lot as well as everything else, especially when you're using the flight controls and, you know,

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317.77 - 326.242 Byron

understanding how the airplane is responding directly, both with the instrumentation and visually looking out the window.

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326.723 - 330.888 Kim Komando

So have you ever run into an emergency situation while you're flying?

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331.529 - 333.312 Byron

Oh, yeah, a few.

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Chapter 6: How does the Kayak app assist with airport wait times?

333.332 - 334.834 Byron

All those years, yeah, I've had a few.

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335.375 - 343.446 Kim Komando

And so which one comes to mind that if it was somebody on the ground with a joystick that you're like, there's no way that ever would have survived?

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343.867 - 371.631 Byron

This was an older airplane. I was flying an F-27. And we were out going just Detroit over to Erie, Pennsylvania, very quick flight, very short. Fortunately, it was a nice night. But all of the entire electrical system on the airplane went blank. Everything died. We had no lights. I had no instrumentation. I'm now looking out the window. and using the horizon to keep us level.

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Chapter 7: What alternatives exist for biometric ID at airports?

372.092 - 394.234 Byron

We didn't have any radios. The airplane was dead. And we started hunting. You know, flashlights came out. The first officer was out. He's looking at the circuit breakers in the back. We were trying to figure out how could everything go bad. And in about 10 minutes, it came back. And everything like, you know, the horizons didn't work. They'd spun down and the gyros don't.

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394.214 - 416.872 Byron

worked that well then, but we were able to successfully go into Erie. We were pretty close. And the airplane sat there for three days as they tracked down the problem of maintenance. They tore the airplane apart. And they did find it finally, and they got it repaired. But, you know, imagine if that's your data link to that aircraft. Gosh. And, yeah, everything goes blank, you know.

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417.333 - 434.965 Byron

And the airplanes, they work a lot, and they're in a very extreme environment at times. You know, we're going up where, you know, you've got storms. Well, yeah, with the weather and everything. And there's, you know, again, visually asserting the radar is one aspect. of looking at getting around the weather.

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435.125 - 453.984 Byron

But you're also looking and seeing how it's growing, what it looks like, the movement, and the radar may or may not give you the total picture. You've got to, again, be looking. And, you know, we can do it in the clouds, and I've done that before, too. but it's not as good.

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454.184 - 463.152 Byron

And, you know, you start getting those ripples and the feeling as you're approaching and you go, okay, this is a little too close. You don't get that sitting in an office with a joystick.

463.172 - 482.068 Kim Komando

Yeah, no, it's just, you know, I guess my husband's a flight instructor and he's actually started with gliders too, by the way. And, you know, I'm in a plane probably, I bet you I'm in a plane at least once every two weeks. And, you know, I've been in where they've lost an engine, you know,

482.048 - 508.157 Byron

and it's i i just i would never get in a plane that was fully automated i just wouldn't do it yeah it's just no it's just crazy yeah now what about a self-driving car real quick yes or no um it doesn't have the same you know it's not a 3d environment i'm a little trepidatious a friend of mine has a tesla and i've ridden with him using the auto drive oh that doesn't work and

511.023 - 520.83 Byron

I turn down the self-driving taxis when we've been in cities and we call for a cab and it shows up with nobody in it. It's like, no, I'm not doing this.

521.03 - 544.095 Kim Komando

I'll stick to a stinky Uber with the guy who wants to have a conversation. Yeah, or I'll walk. Hey, Byron, thanks for coming on the show and giving us your perspective as a pilot. You know, let me tell you something. 30,000 hours is huge, okay? A commercial airline probably retires with 20,000 or 25,000 hours.

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