As TSA Lines Spike in Atlanta, SkySpot Promises Smarter Airport Arrival Times

The conversation in our house started Sunday night.

What time should you leave for the airport?

With a loved one heading to the airport this last Monday for a work trip, that question got more complicated given extra long TSA lines and sweeping federal workforce disruptions at Hartsfield-Jackson. The local news said to prepare to stand in line for four hours. Reddit posts said the international terminal was a faster alternative. And, the official TSA wait time app was down.

The reality is that even on a “normal day,” there is no one reliable place to get pre-flight travel information. That means travelers are piecing together departure times based on traffic apps and airline apps.

Atlanta-based entrepreneur Ke’Shawn Alexander was frustrated by the fact that travelers are drawing in information and still are flying blind when it comes to when to leave for the airport. So he launched SkySpot, a mobility platform designed to help travelers plan their trips and get more accurate and personalized leave-time recommendations.

Today, his platform has been helping a select number of travelers. And soon, it could be ready to help more people better prepare for their time at the airport.

Airport Beta Testing

“SkySpot started about a year ago when I began thinking deeply about the friction people experience just trying to get to the airport. As someone who travels frequently, I realized there wasn’t a single place that could reliably tell you when you actually need to leave your house to make a flight,” Alexander told Hypepotamus. Travelers check traffic, their airline app to ensure nothing is delayed, and the TSA app to calculate wait times. “Even then, you’re still guessing,” he added.

“I started building SkySpot to bring all of those variables together into one clear recommendation from home to gate.”

Users provide their flight information (plus if they have pre-check or Clear), and their location. SkySpot provides a detailed breakdown of departure timing options based on driving or rideshare options.

SkySpot currently has 80 beta testers using the app for flights out of Atlanta, Los Angeles, Baltimore, DC, Chicago, Dallas, and New York.

Through the beta test, Alexander said that the biggest thing he is studying is prediction accuracy and traveler behavior.

“We want to understand: Did the recommended leave time feel accurate? Did travelers feel rushed or comfortable? Where are the biggest uncertainties in the journey?”

He told Hypepotamus that “early feedback confirms that travelers really value seeing the full trip breakdown, drive time, TSA estimates, and walking time inside the airport, because it helps them understand why the recommendation is being made.”

From Consumer Brands To The Skies

Alexander is no stranger to building consumer-facing products. The Morehouse College graduate previously held product management positions at fantasy sports giant FanDuel and apparel giant Spanx. He said working at both companies influenced how he thought about building SkySpot.

“[They] taught me how important it is to build products that are deeply connected to the customer experience,” he said. “At FanDuel I worked on consumer-facing digital experiences where small improvements in usability could dramatically change engagement. At Spanx I saw how data and product systems can drive real business outcomes.”

As a solo founder, Alexander said he is currently working with early users, advisors, and travelers to grow the platform.

“Long term, the vision is to grow the team as the product evolves from a consumer travel tool into a broader airport arrival intelligence platform that can support airports, travel companies, and enterprise travel programs,” he added.