As Americans wait in ever-longer security screening lines inside terminals, new documents show dozens more incidents happening outside perimeters than airports have disclosed.
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After discussing intrusions openly at first, officials at several airports and the TSA started withholding details, arguing the release could expose vulnerabilities. Nationally, breaches are happening about every 10 days at one of the 31 major airports AP studied.
The tally covers breaches at airports that handle three-quarters of US passengers. “However, we still recommend travelers arrive at the airport earlier than normal to allow for the possibility of longer lines”.
Domestic travelers should arrive at the airport two hours before a flight while global travelers should arrive three hours prior to their flight’s departure time.
Bomb-sniffing dogs are being used at busier airports to help speed up lines, TSA spokesman Mike England said. Twitter has been the most popular social media platform for fliers to share their experiences with more than 6,400 tweets posted so far. Second, TSA is experiencing abnormally high attrition and is not able to retain transportation security officers.
Report long lines in real-time: When encountering longer than usual lines, passengers should share that information with their fellow travelers via social media. Post a photo on Instagram along with your airport code, @TSA and #IHateTheWait.
While 70,000 may not sound like a large number when considering the 63 million passengers who have taken flights on American Airlines this year, Reuters notes that this figure doesn’t even include passengers on other airlines who likely suffered the same missed flight fate as a result of TSA delays.
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For those hardened travelers looking for some positive news before taking off during the Memorial Day weekend, which typically is one of the busiest times of the year, a survey released by GO Airport Express – a Chicago-based ground transportation service and GO Airport Shuttle, an worldwide transportation provider – offers relief.
