New York airport agency slams TSA for unacceptable wait times
- BTN News
- Thursday, 12 May 2016
The USA's Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), the government agency in charge of New York City's JFK, Newark, and LaGuardia airports, has sent a tactfully scathing letter to the Transportation Security Administration criticising growing passenger wait times at the three airports and threatening to introduce private security contractors to replace TSA screeners.
The letter "respectfully but urgently" asks the TSA to adequately staff security checkpoints to ensure "effective and efficient passenger screening" for travellers.
The letter quotes 253 recent occurrences of 20-plus minute waits, up from 10 occurrences in the same single-month period last year.
The letter called experiences at Newark and LaGuardia "similarly abysmal".
The PANYNJ's aviation director and chief security officer wrote that the Port Authority "can no longer tolerate the continuing inadequacy of TSA passenger screening services."
A TSA spokesperson blamed the rise in wait times in part on a "strong economy" that is driving "heavier than normal volumes of travellers."
Passengers catching domestic flights from New York airports are advised to check in two hours before departure.