When the program launched in 2013, TSA primarily relied on “word of mouth” to promote it, said Charles Carroll, senior vice president of identity services at MorphoTrust USA. Enroll in PreCheck or another “trusted traveler program”.
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The TSA projects that 740 million passengers will pass through its screening process this year, up from 643 million just a few years ago. The second is due to changes in TSA procedures after the agency botched a screening audit.
The release also blamed the uptick in wait times on shrinking staff and a rise in travelers. The group represents USA airlines and warns of long lines this summer unless more security officers are hired.
TSA says it also wants to provide Congress with a staffing model that keeps up with airline industry’s record growth. Congress said its current budget is more than enough, but mismanagement within the TSA is wasting money. Being pre-sniffed by a canine allows passengers to enter the TSA’s pre-check lanes, where they don’t have to remove shoes and belts or take laptops and liquids from their bags.
Christina Callahan’s testimony before the Subcommittee on Transportation Security, chaired by Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) is part of a series of congressional hearings aimed at addressing nationwide complaints about long lines at airports because of TSA issues.
How is TSA fixing the delays? Some critics claim that the TSA is understaffed because it is busy providing security for presidential candidates during presidential primaries but TSA officials deny this. In the short-term, the plan is to hire 768 new officers by mid-June, though they will need to undergo a lengthy training process. About four times more bags are brought through TSA checkpoints than are checked at the ticket counter or curb, Neffenger said. After that, the agency will research technology to update its systems and practices.
Secretary Jeh Johnson submitted a request to Congress to transition 2,784 Transportation Security Officers from part-time to full time – a step that Johnson said would allow an additional 82,000 passengers to be screened per day.
The seasonal surge comes as the shorthanded TSA struggles to keep its security lines moving.
Several credit card companies will reimburse card holders for the fee, and Alaska Airlines lets travelers use their loyalty reward points to pay it.
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So last week, an embattled and noticeably addled Peter V. Neffenger, the TSA administrator, was warning anyone who was still listening to him that passengers would most likely continue to experience longer than normal wait times because of an expected increase in summer travel. “I thought it was going to be a lot worse”. “But that’s why we put so much focus on the aircraft itself, so that I can be assured that anything that’s going on to that aircraft, any person who’s going aboard that aircraft and people who are operating that aircraft and the aircraft itself is safe to be in the United States”, Neffenger said. “But I don’t believe it’s a constant chronic problem”.
