Tuesday, May 24, 2016

My Take: TSA Damage Control


It appears to be a case of "too little, too late" and with that colloquialism I am referring to the replacement of the T.S.A."s security chief.

The New York Times article describes the situation and the replacement of the official in an article titled, T.S.A. Replaces Security Chief as Tension Grows at Airports and Agency


The entire security situation at many airports around the country has devolved into a nightmare for travelers and it appears that in terms of security, based upon the statistics, we are not really safe.  Security screeners failed 95 percent of the time to identify fake weapons and explosives in covert tests. For that record, and the incredibly long lines that I have been seeing on television, the chief of security was given a $90,000 bonus paid in $10,000 increments.

But the Summer travel season is already upon us! And the situation is not getting better, only worse.


Security Lines at Chicago O'Hare International Airport
In related moves, the TSA administrator apparently replaced the leadership team at Chicago O'Hare to help with the problems. The NY Times article describes the situation there:


On Sunday, hundreds of passengers, including 450 on American Airlines alone, missed flights because of waits of two or three hours in security lines, according to local news reports. Many of the passengers had to spend the night in the terminal sleeping on cots.
The T.S.A. has sent 58 additional security officers and four more bomb-sniffing dog teams to O’Hare. Last week, Mr. Neffenger apologized to passengers and briefed officials in Chicago about efforts to address the crushing delays.

I am glad that I am not traveling very much. I hate standing in security lines and missing my flight.

My Take: The moves by the TSA are principally superficial. The agency is failing to address the problems with security and have spent too much time trying to develop spectacular technology while ignoring the fundamental need for a motivated, trained workforce.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD 

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