Agency Anticipating A Large Increase In Passenger Volume This Summer

The U.S. Congress has approved a request from the Transportation Security Administration for funding for hundreds of additional screeners to handle an anticipated increase in airline passengers this summer.

USA Today reports that the agency requested permission to transfer $34 million between its accounts so that it could hire and train 768 new screeners, and pay overtime to 42,500 existing officers. The U.S. Senate approved the transfer May 4, the day it was submitted. The U.S. House followed suit Wednesday.

Several airports have already been hit with long delays, including Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, and Seattle. New York's LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark airports have also seen a significant increase in wait times to clear security.

Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY), a member of the Homeland Security Committee, said that a shortage of screeners is causing a lot of problems for travelers, and "we need to act now to get more screeners on the ground at airport checkpoints, or we can expect even longer lines and wait times, more passengers experiencing travel disruptions and more airports forced to consider privatizing security.”

The number of travelers passing through U.S. airports is expected to increase by eight percent, according to TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger.

(Image from YouTube video uploaded Thursday by user Sean H)

FMI: www.tsa.gov