“The TSA, already reeling from a number of high-profile security lapses, made critical choices about staffing resources and its expedited screening programs over the a year ago that failed to account for a surge in airline travel”. The number of screeners went down. “We’re paying the price for that now”.
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Those are typical descriptions nowadays about the waiting times at airports for screening by Transportation Security Administration officials before passengers board their flights. Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer vacations for many and a busy travel period, serves as a crucial test for the agency. That’s also the highest since 2005. Meanwhile, passenger volumes increased 15 percent during that time.
According to Mr. Cammaroto, “those who resisted or spoke out about concerns ranging from security gaps to personnel moves say they were muzzled, pushed aside or forced out, depleting the number of experienced managers or causing upheaval in parts of the agency”, The Center for Investigative Reporting wrote earlier this year.
Last year, when first asked by reporters about breaches, Chicago’s Department of Aviation cited five of them. Several credit card companies will reimburse card holders for the fee, and Alaska Airlines lets travelers use their loyalty reward points to pay it.
Travelers walk to gates after passing through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at O’Hare International Airport, Friday, May 27, 2016, in Chicago.
Travelers at the San Diego airport said security lines were moving faster Friday than in recent weeks.
Allin said an expanded PreCheck program could lessen the burden on TSA officers, but that the enrollment system at the airport needs to be improved.
“Our enrollment center is now off-site”, Allin said. Appointment times are filled.
“The TSA has put a lot more emphasis on marketing”, Carroll said. As the agency struggled with corruption in 2013, then deputy administrator John Halinski pleaded in an video message to the agency’s 60,000 employees: “Folks, we’re better than this”.
“Year-to-date, more than 70,000 American Airlines customers have missed flights due to excessive wait times”, American Airlines Senior Vice President Kerry Phillipovitch told Congress on Thursday, adding more than 40,000 checked bags have also missing flights because of screening delays. TSA Adminstrator Peter Neffenger told USA TODAY’s Editorial Board this week that only two airlines do a good job, though he declined to name them or the laggards. Apply online at: https://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck/apply.
The program randomly selected passengers for the expedited security lanes, but Neffenger chose to stop the practice amid ongoing security concerns.
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The hearing was one in a series where whistleblowers denounced the agency for rewarding top officials with large bonuses while retaliating against workers who complained about the unfair practices.
