After exceedingly long lines at Transportation Security Administration screening checkpoints stranded 450 American Airlines passengers overnight at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport Sunday night, the agency has sent 58 new screeners to work at the airport in an effort to alleviate the situation.
According to the Associated Press, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois’ office says Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has promised that resources are being directed to O’Hare, including 58 new security officers and four more bomb-sniffing dogs. Another Illinois senator, Mark Kirk, demanded that the TSA administrator give up his post if delays at O’Hare and Midway aren’t resolved by Memorial Day.
Sen. Durbin has also put pressure on TSA to speed up PreCheck enrollment.
Things have not been easy for the TSA recently, not by a long shot. Even before all those travelers missed their flights or were severely delayed earlier this week, the agency
has been scrambling to add more workers to security checkpoints around the country in time for the busy summer season when lines could get even worse. TSA has also been 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.
TSA sends dozens of screeners to O’Hare to cut wait times [Associated Press]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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