Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) recently applauded the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for minimizing checkpoint wait times at American airports over the Memorial Day weekend.
Being proactive helped ensure efficiency, the TSA said.
The TSA Airport Operations Center calls airports daily. These daily calls have helped the TSA identify problems and address them before they become larger issues, negatively impacting passengers.
Air travel is expected to break the record this summer, ACI-NA said. This increased travel potentially could be problematic for both airports and the TSA.
“Congress must stop diverting a portion of the 9/11 passenger security fee to pay for other government programs and provide TSA funding for the number of Transportation Security Officers, canines and the technology necessary to ensure the efficient and effective screening of passengers and their baggage,” Kevin Burke, ACI-NA president and CEO, said. “Congress should also modernize the local Passenger Facility Charge user fee so it can be used to fund needed infrastructure projects at airports that will bolster security and improve passenger flows in aging airport terminals.”
The TSA also needs to launch a public relations campaign to market the benefits of TSA PreCheck, provide consistent operating hours and launch a mobile enrollment platform for the program’s members, ACI-NA said.