American Airlines has again called out the TSA for ‘unacceptable’ wait times at passenger screening, fearing long delays will only get worse as the busy summer travel season approaches.
"The lines at TSA checkpoints nationwide have become unacceptable. The result – our customers are waiting in TSA lines greater than one hour," American spokesman Ross Feinstein said in a statement.
Feinstein said nearly 6,800 passengers missed flights due of security checkpoint delays in a single week in mid-March, with airports in Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas and Philadelphia the hardest hit.
"As we approach spring and summer, we are concerned that these lines will grow even longer," Feinstein said.
The number of TSA agents nationwide has been cut while air traffic is rising steadily.
Charlotte-Douglas International Airport said that for two days in March, some passengers suffered delays of three hours to go through security screening.
"We believe the staffing model TSA headquarters utilizes is broken," said Charlotte Airport director Brent Cagle.
Airports like Seattle-Tacoma are even considering reinforcing TSA agent numbers with private security contractors.
