The Transportation Safety Administration has been taking quite a beating lately over exceedingly long wait times at screening checkpoints in the nation’s airports. American Airlines now says its employees will be pitching in to help speed things up, after security delays stranded 450 of the carrier’s passengers overnight at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
American brought out cots for folks who missed their flights after waiting in line for two hours at security and were forced to spend Sunday night at O’Hare, ABC-7 reports.
“Got here two and a half hours before my flight and security took two to three (hours) to get through,” one stranded traveler told the news station.
A spokesperson said American will be deploying its own employees over the next week to help with non-security functions. Delta Air Lines announced a similar plan last week
“(They will be) standing in line, telling people to take shoes off, take electronics out and bag of liquids out,” the spokesperson said.
TSA has been scrambling to add more workers to security checkpoints in time for the busy summer season, as well as encouraging travelers to enroll in TSA Pre-Check in order to alleviate congestion and long lines that customers, airlines, lawmakers, industry trade groups, and airports have been railing against in a united chorus over the last few weeks.
In the meantime, airlines are urging travelers to arrive at the airport at least two hours ahead of their flight in the event that they’re caught in a long line to get through security.
PASSENGERS STRANDED AT O’HARE AIRPORT DUE TO LONG TSA LINES [ABC-7]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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