Dr. Queue Reveals All About the Science of Lines
A long line of travelers wait for the TSA security check point at O'Hare International airport, Monday, May 16, 2016, in Chicago. Already faced with lines that snake through terminals out to the curb, fliers are bracing for long waits at security in the busy months of July and August. Some major airports are currently seeing wait times exceeding 90 minutes at peak hours. Teresa Crawford / AP
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A long line of travelers wait for the TSA security check point at O'Hare International airport, Monday, May 16, 2016, in Chicago. Already faced with lines that snake through terminals out to the curb, fliers are bracing for long waits at security in the busy months of July and August. Some major airports are currently seeing wait times exceeding 90 minutes at peak hours. Teresa Crawford / AP
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Dr. Queue Reveals All About the Science of Lines
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No doubt plenty of laymen in lines at O’Hare and Midway are whittling away the hours pointing out ways their lines could be moving faster. So, do they have a point?
We ask an expert on “queuing theory” about the best ways to organize and manage lines in public places like airports. Dick Larson is a professor of engineering systems at MIT, but we like his superhero name much better: Dr. Queue.