Increasing Lines at TSA Checkpoints Create Security Risks for Airports

Increasing Lines at TSA Checkpoints Create Security Risks for Airports

TSA screener shortage exposes travelers to security risks

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • May 23, 2019

Over the weekend passengers at Seattle-Tacoma Airport in Seattle, Wash. were stuck in a security line that extended all the way into the parking garage. Passengers waited nearly two hours to move through the line before being screened by Transportation Security Administration agents at the checkpoint. 

In a House Homeland Security Committee Hearing on Tuesday in Washington D.C., Sec-Tac Airport Manager  Lance Lyttee told Congress that the shortage of TSA agents and screeners at the nation's eighth largest airport is contributing to these long lines and putting the airport and its travelers at risk of becoming "soft targets" in a mass shooter or terrorist attack.

"Lines that stretch through the terminal, past the ticket counters, over the sky bridges and into the packing garages compromise our ability to ensure public safety," Lyttle said. "Yet we see this scenario all too often, even before our summer travel season has begun, including just this last weekend. The ability of the TSA to hurt and retain staff is a major contributor to this challenge."

Lyttle referenced a Bloomberg Law study which found that between 2012 and 2016, the TSA at Sea-Tac Airport hired 858 new screening officers, but lost 772 of them - a 90 percent attrition rate.

Adding insult to injury, Lyttle told Congress that approximately 80 TSA security officers in the Puget Sound region have left for positions that offer higher pay since April 1. 

Lyttle testified that Sea-Tac's top priority is to ensure the swift and reliable processing at screening checkpoints, but staffing shortages have compromised the airport's ability to provide that. Sea-Tac's aging facilities are a factor, but TSA's own inability to retain agents is the "major contributing factor," stating that he had never seen all the screening lanes at the airport open because they had never had the staff to do so.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Security Industry Association Announces the 2026 Security Megatrends

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has identified and forecasted the 2026 Security Megatrends, which form the basis of SIA’s signature annual Security Megatrends report defining the top 10 factors influencing both near- and long-term change in the global security industry. Read Now

  • The Future of Access Control: Cloud-Based Solutions for Safer Workplaces

    Access controls have revolutionized the way we protect our people, assets and operations. Gone are the days of cumbersome keychains and the security liabilities they introduced, but it’s a mistake to think that their evolution has reached its peak. Read Now

  • A Look at AI

    Large language models (LLMs) have taken the world by storm. Within months of OpenAI launching its AI chatbot, ChatGPT, it amassed more than 100 million users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. Read Now

  • First, Do No Harm: Responsibly Applying Artificial Intelligence

    It was 2022 when early LLMs (Large Language Models) brought the term “AI” into mainstream public consciousness and since then, we’ve seen security corporations and integrators attempt to develop their solutions and sales pitches around the biggest tech boom of the 21st century. However, not all “artificial intelligence” is equally suitable for security applications, and it’s essential for end users to remain vigilant in understanding how their solutions are utilizing AI. Read Now

  • Improve Incident Response With Intelligent Cloud Video Surveillance

    Video surveillance is a vital part of business security, helping institutions protect against everyday threats for increased employee, customer, and student safety. However, many outdated surveillance solutions lack the ability to offer immediate insights into critical incidents. This slows down investigations and limits how effectively teams can respond to situations, creating greater risks for the organization. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.