Senators Say Carry-Ons Are Clogging Security Lines
by Daniel McCarthy /Photo: danjo paluska
Even while the Department of Homeland Secretary (DHS) asks travelers to be patient as it addresses the wait times at airport security, two congressman believe that airlines cutting back on checked bag fees is a potential solution.
Senators Richard Blumenthal and Edward Markey published a letter on their websites asking airlines to stop charging baggage fees for the duration of the summer, claiming the fees result in 27% more carry-on bags and hold up the security lines.
But that change isn't likely to come any time soon.
During a press conference at Ronald Reagan National Airport in D.C. on Friday, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said travelers should be prepared for extended waits. “Our job is to keep the American people safe. We’re not going to compromise aviation security in the face of this.”
The department has a 10-point plan to speed up security lines, which includes hiring more Transportation and Security (TSA) officers and asking its current staff to work overtime. TSA also will use more canines to assist in screening, allowing employees to perform other “non-security” tasks, such as moving bins.
The Transportation Security Administration also will move to accelerate the hiring of 768 new security officers it had planned to bring on during 2016, Johnson said. The agency hopes to have those officers in place this summer, possibly as early as mid-June, he said.
And Congress did give the agency some relief earlier this week.
The Department of Homeland Security received congressional approval Wednesday to reallocate $34 million in its budget to increase the number of officers at airports. About $8 million will go toward the hiring of 768 officers this month.
Still, security lines this summer will inevitably be long and people should have “the appropriate expectations when they arrive at airports,” Johnson acknowledged. "We want to keep passengers moving, but we want to keep passengers safe."
Meanwhile, complaints from travelers—and airports—are mounting across the country. Social media and news outlets were abuzz with reports of two-hour waits at airports and hundreds of travelers missing their flights at Chicago Midway and O'Hare.
TSA said the problems were due to a shortage of screeners and other security-line workers. On its website, the TSA was reporting more normal security check-in times on Monday afternoon.
There’s also been pushback from cities threatening to privatize their security operations. Last week, the Port Authority of NY and NJ warned that if TSA is unable to cut wait times, it will look to the private sector to start screening passengers.
"We can no longer tolerate the continuing inadequacy of TSA passenger screening services…Long waits are prompting complaints from passengers, terminal operators, and airlines alike,” director of the Port Authority’s Aviation Department Thomas Bosco said.