Flights are departing as scheduled, but travelers’ bags will be delayed getting to their final destination.
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“The TSA in Phoenix is experiencing delays in its checked bag screening system”.
Denver International Airport collects money for a program to help homeless people, and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport accepts donations to support a United Service Organizations’ program for members of the military and their families. The alternative process is more time consuming than their automated system.
Those who are accepted as TSA pre-check passengers will receive a “Known Traveler Number” in the mail, which they can then use when booking flights, according to the release. A few planes, however, are being held.
More than 3,000 suitcases were left piled up on the tarmac at a Phoenix airport after a baggage-screening system error. “TSA encourages passengers to continue to arrive at Phoenix Sky Harbor early”.
The Pre-Check security screening line will now be open at all times when the TSA security is operating, officials said Wednesday in a news release.
PHOENIX (AP) – Bags jammed a parking lot at the Phoenix airport as they waited to be shipped by ground to other cities for safety checks, among thousands that missed their flights because of problems with the federal system that screens luggage for explosives. The baggage is expected to be driven late Thursday afternoon.
Melendez also says TSA is bringing additional canine units from other airports and bringing in network specialists to address the situation and screen all bags.
There was no immediate timetable for the problem to be fixed.
The problem began at about 6:45 a.m. and only affected Sky Harbor.
According to the TSA, the inline baggage systems handle the majority of luggage checked in at airports. When everything is working properly only about 10 percent of all checked bags are hand-searched by TSA officers.
As of Thursday afternoon, over 3,000 bags are at Sky Harbor that are not able to be screened at the airport.
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Airlines for America, an airline industry group, is asking fliers to take photos of those long security lines and post them to social media with the hashtag: #iHateTheWait.
