How to Text With a Real Person at the TSA to Answer Your Travel Questions

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On the heels of “the busiest summer travel period on record,” the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is gearing up for record-breaking numbers this holiday season. According to TSA Administrator David Pekoske, seven of the “top 10 busiest travel days in TSA’s history” have been in 2023, including multiple days when more than 2.8 million passengers were screened in airports across the country.

In the same news release, Pekoske made the usual claims about the TSA anticipating a high volume of travelers during the holidays and being ready for the increased airport traffic. And while most aspects of air travel are beyond our control, you can do yourself a favor by saving the TSA's text message line for real-time answers to any travel or security questions that come up.

How to text questions to the TSA

You can text questions to the TSA, which promises “assistance in real time.” Technically, there are three ways of getting in touch:

Texting questions to #275-872 (AskTSA)

Sending questions to @AskTSA on X (formerly known as Twitter) via direct message

Sending questions through Facebook Messenger

We tried texting the TSA to see what you can expect, and it starts with an automated virtual assistant asking you to type in numbers in response to a menu of options. The automated options can give answers to basic questions, but unless you need pretty simple information—like basic ID rules or what's allowed through security—the robot won't be much help. When we asked if travelers still need to put liquids in a resealable bag, we had to send seven text responses to get an answer.

When we asked a follow-up question, the automated system started us over from the beginning and asked the same menu of questions. It seems each ticket is closed after an answer is given (whether their answer helped or not), and you have to start over from the beginning if you want to make a new query. This time, though, instead of going through the automated system with a virtual assistant, we pressed "6" to text with a real person. We were curious to see just how fast you can speak with a real human.

Actual TSA staff members are meant to be available to answer questions from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET seven days a week, including holidays. It took them a reasonable five minutes to answer our question. 

Each new question will start over from the beginning of the TSA's automated text menu, but you can press "6" to text with a person during those regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. When we asked our next follow-up question, a real person responded in four minutes this time.

Of course, you can also call the TSA Contact Center if you prefer—their number is (866) 289-9673. You can speak with a human staff member from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends and holidays. An automated service answers calls during off-hours.