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LONG LINES, SHORT PATIENCE: 

LOCAL PERSPECTIVES 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

TRANSPORTATION SECURITY 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

MAY 26, 2016 

Serial No. 114–74 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/ 


Congress.#13
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas, Chairman 

LAMAR SMITH, Texas 

PETER T. KING, New York 

MIKE ROGERS, Alabama 

CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan, Vice Chair 

JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina 

TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania 

LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania 

SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania 

CURT CLAWSON, Florida 

JOHN KATKO, New York 

WILL HURD, Texas 

EARL L. ‘‘BUDDY’’ CARTER, Georgia 

MARK WALKER, North Carolina 

BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia 

MARTHA MCSALLY, Arizona 

JOHN RATCLIFFE, Texas 

DANIEL M. DONOVAN, JR., New York 

BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi 

LORETTA SANCHEZ, California 

SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas 

JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island 

BRIAN HIGGINS, New York 

CEDRIC L. RICHMOND, Louisiana 

WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts 

DONALD M. PAYNE, JR., New Jersey 

FILEMON VELA, Texas 

BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN, New Jersey 

KATHLEEN M. RICE, New York 

NORMA J. TORRES, California 

BRENDAN P. SHIELDS, Staff Director 

JOAN V. O’HARA, General Counsel 

MICHAEL S. TWINCHEK, Chief Clerk 

I. LANIER AVANT, Minority Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION SECURITY 

JOHN KATKO, New York, Chairman 

MIKE ROGERS, Alabama 

EARL L. ‘‘BUDDY’’ CARTER, Georgia 

MARK WALKER, North Carolina 

JOHN RATCLIFFE, Texas 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas (ex officio) 

KATHLEEN M. RICE, New York 

WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts 

DONALD M. PAYNE, JR., New Jersey 

BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi (ex officio) 

KRISTA P. HARVEY, Subcommittee Staff Director 

KRIS CARLSON, Subcommittee Clerk 

CEDRIC C. HAYNES, Minority Subcommittee Staff Director 

(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

STATEMENTS

The Honorable John Katko, a Representative in Congress From the State 

of New York, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Transportation Security: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 1 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 3 

The Honorable Donald M. Payne, a Representative in Congress From the 

State of New Jersey: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 4 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 5 

WITNESSES

Ms. Christina R. Callahan, Executive Director, Syracuse Hancock International Airport, Syracuse, New York 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 6 

Joint Prepared Statement ................................................................................... 8 

Ms. Bonnie A. Allin, President and CEO, Tucson Airport Authority, Tucson, 

Arizona: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 10 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 11 

Ms. Lydia Beairsto, Managing Deputy Commissioner for Security, Department of Aviation, City of Chicago, Illinois ......................................................... 17 

Ms. Kerry Philipovitch, Senior Vice President, Customer Experience, American Airlines: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 19 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 21 

Mr. J. David Cox, Sr., National President, American Federation of Government Employees: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 23 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 25 

(1) 

LONG LINES, SHORT PATIENCE: LOCAL 

PERSPECTIVES 

Thursday, May 26, 2016 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY, 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION SECURITY, 

Washington, DC. 

The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 9:08 a.m., in Room 

311, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. John Katko [Chairman of 

the subcommittee] presiding. 

Present: Representatives Katko, Carter, and Payne. 

Also present: Representatives McSally and Jackson Lee. 

Mr. KATKO. The Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Transportation Security, will come to order. 

A bit of housekeeping before we proceed. I ask unanimous consent that the gentlewoman from Arizona, Ms. McSally, be allowed 

to sit on the dais and participate in this hearing. 

Without objection, so ordered. 

The subcommittee is meeting today to better understand the root 

causes of increased passenger wait times and gain local perspectives on this important issue. 

I now recognize myself for an opening statement. 

As the summer holiday season approaches, we are in the midst 

of a crisis at our airports. American families are planning to enjoy 

their time off traveling to points near and far, business men and 

women are doing the same that they do all year round, and the 

added crush of the travel season, leisure season, is causing particular problems. 

As they begin their journeys, they will arrive at airports around 

the country only to be confronted with longer and longer lines at 

many airports at TSA checkpoints, causing some to return home 

after missing their flights and stranding others to take up temporary residence at the airport on a cot, like we saw in Chicago a 

few weeks ago. 

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, and this committee continues to receive reports from around the country describing delays at TSA checkpoints in excess of 2 hours. On Good 

Friday, March 25, 600 passengers missed their flights at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport due to an apparent lack of TSA 

manpower and checkpoint inefficiencies. In fact, that airport was 

nearly forced to effect a ground stoppage, a literal standstill of air 

traffic, due to delays at the checkpoint. 

2 

This is wholly unacceptable. I, along with the American taxpayer, expect the security at America’s airports to be streamlined, 

effective, and efficient. 

This committee has worked tirelessly with TSA to ensure that 

the manpower and technology they need to operate checkpoints at 

optimal levels is there. 

While TSA realized there would be an issue and communicated 

to the American public that increased wait times should be expected at our Nation’s airports as we enter the high travel seasons, 

they did not have a clear picture of the resources they would need 

to tackle this problem and clearly were not prepared for it. 

The TSA fiscal year 2017 budget request did not account for any 

of the increases in overtime or staffing that they are now requesting to meet their basic screening function. It wasn’t until widespread media reports of passengers on cots, which is completely unacceptable, and excessive wait times that TSA made the decision 

to request to reallocate assets to help combat the issue. 

I, my colleagues on this committee, and Ms. McSally are growing 

increasingly frustrated that TSA needs constant prodding to effect 

positive changes at the agency. 

This committee has passed several pieces of bipartisan legislation that would go a long way towards improving the overall security of airports, as well as improving checkpoint optimization. But 

the Senate refused to expedite passage of these important bills, 

standing on principle or some esoteric theory about how the agency 

should be run. In short, they are trying to polish the brass while 

the fire bell is ringing. 

For example, my TSA PreCheck bill would require TSA to expand and aggressively market the program, thereby increasing the 

number of trusted travelers into the system, diverting them into 

PreCheck checkpoints, and alleviating the stress on the general 

public checkpoints. However, due to typical Washington antics, this 

bill, amongst others, remains stalled. 

When I came to Congress I made a commitment to my constituents to tackle problems head on and just get things done. Last 

week, the subcommittee convened representatives from airports 

and airlines from across this country to discuss this wait time crisis and hear directly from them about what they think needs to be 

done to help. It was a very productive meeting, and it gave me 

faith that the process in Congress can and does work sometimes. 

The message was consistent: TSA needs to collaborate with individual airlines and airport authorities to coordinate sufficient staffing levels on a local basis. 

I have heard your message, and later today I will introduce the 

Checkpoint Optimization and Efficiency Act of 2016, which will require TSA to maximize all of their available resources and give airports and airlines a seat at the table to ensure those resources are 

being utilized and allocated in the most effective and efficient manner. 

Make no mistake, security is first and foremost. Those that wish 

to do us harm continue to plot against the aviation community, and 

we must be ready to confront them at every turn. But TSA has to 

find a way to maintain security while fulfilling its duty to keep 

passengers safely moving through the system. They have the capaVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:32 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 H:\114THCONGRESS\16TS0526\FINAL\HM147070.TXT HEATH
3 

bility to do it. TSA has to be forward-leaning and creative to address obstacles as they present themselves, just like all of us do in 

our daily jobs. 

I would like to thank our witnesses for taking time out of their 

busy schedules and making multiple trips on short notice to Washington to aid us in solving this problem. I am lucky, honored, and 

fortunate to have the Syracuse International Airport, which I fly in 

and out of each week, as the well-oiled machine that it is, compared to the horror stories we heard at last week’s roundtable discussion on checkpoint efficiency. I have Christina Callahan, one of 

the witnesses here, to thank for that. 

I would like to thank all of you for being here today, and I look 

forward to hearing your perspective on the best and most effective 

way forward. 

[The statement of Chairman Katko follows:] 

STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN JOHN KATKO

MAY 26, 2016 

As the summer holiday season approaches, we are in the midst of a crisis at our 

airports. American families are planning to enjoy their time off traveling to points 

near and far. As they begin their journeys, they will arrive at airports around the 

country only to be confronted with longer and longer lines at TSA security checkpoints, causing some to return home after missing their flights and stranding others 

to take up temporary residence at the airport, on a cot, like we saw in Chicago a 

few weeks ago. 

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident and this committee continues to receive reports from around the country describing delays at TSA checkpoints in excess of 2 hours. On Good Friday, March 25, 600 passengers missed their flights, at 

the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, due to an apparent lack of TSA manpower and checkpoint inefficiencies. In fact, the airport was nearly forced to affect 

a ground stoppage—a literal standstill of air traffic—due to delays at the checkpoint. This is wholly unacceptable and I, along with the American taxpayer, expect 

the security at America’s airports to be streamlined, effective, and efficient. 

This committee has worked tirelessly with TSA to ensure they have the manpower and technology they need to operate checkpoints at optimal levels. While TSA 

realized there would be an issue, and communicated to the American public that 

increased wait times should be expected at our Nation’s airports as we enter the 

high travel seasons, they did not have a clear picture of the resources they would 

need to tackle this problem. The TSA fiscal year 2017 budget request did not account for any of the increases in overtime or staffing that they are now requesting 

to meet their basic screening function. It wasn’t until wide-spread media reports of 

passengers on cots and excessive wait times, that TSA made the decision to request 

to reallocate assets to help combat the issue. I am growing increasingly frustrated 

that TSA needs constant prodding to effect positive changes at the agency. 

This committee has passed several pieces of bipartisan legislation that would go 

a long way to improve the overall security of airports as well as improving checkpoint optimization, but the Senate refuses to expedite passage of these important 

bills. For example, my TSA PreCheck bill would require TSA to expand and aggressively market the program, thereby, increasing the number of trusted travelers into 

the system, diverting them into the PreCheck checkpoints and alleviating the stress 

on the general public checkpoints. However, due to typical Washington antics, this 

bill amongst others remains stalled. 

When I came to Congress I made a commitment to my constituents to tackle problems head on and get things done. Last week, this subcommittee convened representatives from airports and airlines from across this country to discuss this wait 

time crisis and hear directly from them what they think needs to be done to help. 

The message was consistent; TSA needs to collaborate with individual airlines and 

airport authorities to coordinate sufficient staffing levels on a local basis. I have 

heard your message, and later today, I will introduce the ‘‘Checkpoint Optimization 

and Efficiency Act of 2016,’’ which will require TSA to maximize all of their available resources and give airports and airlines a seat at the table, to ensure those 

resources are being utilized and allocated in the most effective and efficient manner. 

4 

Make no mistake, security is first and foremost. Those that wish to do us harm 

continue to plot against the aviation community and we must be ready to confront 

them at every turn. But TSA has to find a way to maintain security while fulfilling 

its duty to keep passengers safely moving through the system. TSA has to be forward-leaning and creative to address obstacles as they present themselves. 

I would like to thank our witnesses for taking time out of their busy schedules 

and making multiple trips, on short notice, to Washington to aid us in solving this 

problem. I am lucky, the Syracuse Hancock International Airport, which I fly in and 

out of each week, is a well-oiled machine compared to the horror stories we heard 

at last week’s roundtable discussion on checkpoint efficiency, and I have Christina 

Callahan to thank for that. 

I would like to thank all of you for being here today and I look forward to hearing 

your perspective on the best and most effective way forward. 

Mr. KATKO. With that, I now recognize the Ranking Member of 

the subcommittee, the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Payne, for 

his opening statement. I like those glasses. 

Mr. PAYNE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wore them just for you. 

Mr. KATKO. Go orange. 

Mr. PAYNE. Yeah, right. 

I would also like to thank you for holding this hearing. 

It is good that we are having this hearing immediately following 

the full committee hearing with Administrator Neffenger yesterday. 

Recently, wait times have been a major cause of concern within 

our Nation’s airports. Last week, for example, due to extreme wait 

times, the Transportation Security Administration reallocated resources to Chicago Midway International Airport and Newark Liberty Airport to decrease the length of screening lines. 

While I am pleased that TSOs are being given the opportunity 

to be converted to full-time and the administration has taken steps 

to address the problem in the interim, we need to find a viable 

long-term solution to this problem. Reallocating, or taking one airport’s resources and giving it to another, will only fix the problem 

temporarily. 

For the summer travel period, TSA predicted that nearly 740 

million individuals will use commercial aviation travel, which happens to be the most air travelers this country has ever seen. In contrast, TSOs, who are responsible for screening passengers and baggage, are at some of the lowest numbers we have seen in years. 

This is due in large part to limited resources. Under former Administrator Pistole, the agency pivoted to risk-based security, a 

frame of mind that we focus our resources on individuals who we 

know less about, and rightfully so. 

However, this methodology also came with programs that were 

not sustainable due to security risk, such as Managed Inclusion 2, 

which has since ceased. Although they are still using a risk-based 

approach, it does not take away from the fact that the amount of 

officers, when compared to the number of people traveling, is insufficient. 

Last week, the Subcommittee on Transportation Security held a 

roundtable discussion with the airports, and many important 

things were discussed. There were general agreements that BDOs 

could be used in other roles throughout the screener model. Yesterday, we learned TSA agrees and supports the Federal security directors having the flexibility to use BDOs in different ways. 

5 

We also heard concern on whether or not Federal security directors had enough flexibility to operate as necessary checkpoints with 

staffing. The administrator testified yesterday that he believed that 

they always had such flexibility and that he worked to ensure that 

they knew that they had this flexibility. 

Now we get to hear more perspectives from stakeholders who are 

intimately involved with the commercial aviation and airlines and 

airports themselves. Today I look forward to hearing what your experiences throughout this issue have been, as well as how you view 

the steps that are being taken. 

I would also like to thank President Cox from AFGE for being 

here to serve as the voice of the workforce. TSOs represent the 

front line in our efforts to secure the commercial aviation sector. 

They do an outstanding job screening passengers and their belongings, and often unfairly receive the majority of the blame for this 

issue. Their perspective is absolutely vital in this conversation. 

With that, Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you, and I yield back 

the balance of my time. 

[The statement of Hon. Payne follows:] 

STATEMENT OF RANKING MEMBER DONALD M. PAYNE, JR. 

MAY 26, 2016 

Recently, wait times have been a major cause for concern within our Nation’s airports. Last week for example, due to extreme wait times, the Transportation Security Administration reallocated resources to Chicago-Midway International Airport 

and Newark Liberty Airport—to decrease the length of screening lines. 

While I am pleased that TSOs are being given the opportunity to be converted 

to full-time, and the administration has taken steps to address the problem in the 

interim, we need to find viable long-term solutions to this problem. 

Reallocating, or taking one airport’s resources and giving them to another, will 

only fix the problem temporarily. For the summer travel period, TSA has predicted 

that nearly 740 million individuals will use commercial aviation to travel, which 

happens to be the most air travelers this country has ever seen. 

In contrast, TSOs, who are responsible for screening passengers and baggage, are 

at some of the lowest numbers we’ve seen in years. This is due, in large part, to 

limited resources. 

Under former-Administrator Pistole, the agency pivoted to risk-based security, a 

frame of mind that we focus our resources on individuals who we know less about— 

and rightfully so. 

However, this methodology also came with programs that were not sustainable 

due to security risks, such as Managed Inclusion 2, which has sense ceased. Although they are still using a risk-based approach, it does not take away from the 

fact that the amount of travelers, when compared to the number of people traveling, 

is insufficient. 

Last week the Subcommittee on Transportation Security held a roundtable discussion with airports and many important things were discussed. There was general 

agreement that BDOs could be used in other roles throughout the screener model. 

Yesterday, we learned that TSA agrees, and supports Federal Security Directors 

having the flexibility to use BDOs in different ways. 

We also heard concern on whether or not Federal Security Directors had enough 

flexibility to operate as necessary with checkpoint staffing. The administrator testified yesterday that he believed that they always had such flexibility, and that he 

worked to ensure that they knew that they had this flexibility. 

Now, we get to hear more perspectives from stakeholders who are intimately involved with commercial aviation and airlines and the airports themselves. Today, 

I look forward to hearing what your experiences throughout this issue have been, 

as well as how you view the steps that are being taken by the administration, and 

in some instances, yourselves, to address wait times. 

I would also like to thank President Cox from AFGE for being here to serve as 

the voice of the workforce. TSOs represent the front line in our efforts to secure the 

commercial aviation sector. They do an outstanding job screening passengers and 

6 

their belongings, and often unfairly receive the majority of the blame for this issue. 

Their perspective is absolutely vital in this conversation. 

Mr. KATKO. Thank you, Mr. Payne. 

Other Members of the committee are reminded that opening 

statements may be submitted for the record. 

We are pleased to have a very distinguished panel here to testify 

before us today on this very important topic. Christina Callahan 

serves as executive director for Syracuse Hancock International 

Airport in Syracuse, New York. Ms. Bonnie Allin is president and 

CEO of the Tucson Airport in Tucson, Arizona. Ms. Lydia Beairsto 

serves as managing deputy commissioner for security in the department of aviation for the city of Chicago. Ms. Kerry Philipovitch, 

senior vice president for customer service at American Airlines. Mr. 

David Cox, National president of the American Federation of Government Employees. 

Thank you all for being here today. 

I now recognize Ms. Christina Callahan for an opening statement. 

STATEMENT OF CHRISTINA R. CALLAHAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SYRACUSE HANCOCK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, SYRACUSE, NEW YORK 

Ms. CALLAHAN. Thank you. Good morning. Chairman Katko and 

Ranking Member Payne, and to the other Members of the Transportation Security Committee, thank you. Thank you for inviting 

us to today’s hearing on an issue that requires both immediate attention and long-term sustainable solutions: How to handle growing lines at TSA checkpoints at airports across the country while 

maintaining the high standards for passenger and baggage screening we need in order to keep the flying public safe. 

Syracuse International Airport is a small commercial hub serving 

2 million passengers annually, providing cargo and general aviation services to central New York. It employs hundreds of people 

and is a vital component of our economy. As an origination and 

destination airport, we serve 17 direct markets and we are the departure point for 1 million outbound passengers every year. 

While Syracuse has not experienced the recent increased long security checkpoint times, we are part of a National transportation 

system that links our passengers to the airports represented here 

today, and working towards a solution as we enter one of the busiest travel seasons in the year is as important to Syracuse as it is 

to my fellow airports. What I hope to offer today, in addition to 

echoing my fellow airports’ concerns, are examples of the steps we 

have taken to address our issues at home. 

Ensuring the security and safety of the flying public, employees, 

and other airport users is the top priority for airports. Above all 

else, we are entrusted by the traveling public to provide safe and 

secure air transportation. Checkpoint wait times that exceed an 

hour or longer at some of our Nation’s busiest airports have negative impacts on all elements of the air transportation system. Passengers are frustrated, taking their frustrations out on TSA, airport, and airline employees. The anxiety caused by concern over 

missing a flight, or even worse, missing that flight, creates an environment that is already challenged and difficult. 

7 

Several factors have been identified that have contributed to the 

checkpoint wait time issues. They include no increase in the number of Transportation Security Officers between fiscal years 2015 

and 2016, the high rate of TSO attrition followed by the lengthy 

process to hire new TSOs, record growth in passenger traffic and 

lagging numbers in PreCheck enrollment. Combined, they have created a perfect storm that has led to recent events. 

Working together, the airports, TSA, the airlines, and industry 

advocates have identified short- and long-term recommendations 

that focus on key areas, including the need for sufficient TSA staffing, increased PreCheck enrollment and participation, and the continued need to modernize airport infrastructure. We do not, however, support the imposition of any new passenger fees. Rather, we 

believe that the portion of the 9/11 passenger security fees that are 

currently being used to pay for other Government programs should 

be used to fund TSA. 

Let me talk about PreCheck for just a moment. Chairman Katko 

was at the airport last November when we unveiled the TSA enrollment center in Syracuse. PreCheck has proven to be very successful at our airports. Currently, almost 40 percent of the flying 

public is enrolled in PreCheck. 

While we believe that this is the result of having an enrollment 

center in the terminal, our efforts to educate the public on the benefits of PreCheck have been very important. While seemly insignificant, the airport’s role in incentivizing people to enroll in PreCheck 

by giving them free parking has resulted in the increased numbers 

of people enrolling. While not all airports are in a position to offer 

incentives, we have found that it has encouraged enough people to 

come out and spend an hour and enroll in PreCheck. 

I would be remiss if I did not bring up the need to modernize airport infrastructure. We have spent time and money improving our 

airport, consolidating our checkpoint into one central checkpoint, to 

introduce efficiencies at every level. A central checkpoint was designed to bring the physical screening of passengers and baggage 

in alignment. It improved passenger and baggage screening at several levels. It allowed for the introduction of new screening equipment, consolidated TSA resources into one, and it has allowed us 

to implement new security requirements, such as the screening of 

all concession employees. 

We have also been on the cutting edge of security by installing 

automated exit portals. These automated exit portals allow passengers and employees to exit the concourses safely and securely, 

without—preventing re-entry. It also eliminates the need to staff 

the exit lanes, thus saving the airport money and reducing the 

human error element. Let me stress that this project would not 

have been possible without the use of the airport’s passenger facility charges. 

To place the blame solely on TSA is unfair and not a solution to 

the problem. Rather, we must work together to address the major 

underlying issues before you today. 

In closing, I would like to offer my gratitude to Chairman Katko 

and to the other Members of the subcommittee for taking the time 

to listen to our concerns. Thank you for inviting us and for your 

8 

continued commitment to the safety and security of airports and 

the people who use them every day. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Callahan follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF CHRISTINA R. CALLAHAN

MAY 26, 2016 

Good morning Chairman Katko and Ranking Member Rice and the other Members of the Transportation Security Subcommittee. Thank you for inviting us to today’s hearing on an issue that requires both immediate attention and long-term, 

sustainable solutions—how to handle growing lines at TSA checkpoints at airports 

across the country. 

Syracuse Hancock International Airport is a small commercial hub, serving 2 million passengers annually, providing air cargo and general aviation services to the 

Central New York region, employing hundreds of people, and is a vital component 

of the economic engine that drives the success of our community. The airport is located in Onondaga County, in approximately the geographic center of New York 

State and is a joint use facility along with the 174th Attack Wing of the New York 

Air National Guard. 

While Syracuse has not experienced the recent increasing long security checkpoint 

times, we are part of a National air transportation system that links our passengers 

to the airports represented here today and working towards a solution as we near 

one of our busiest travel seasons in the year, as is important to us as it is to my 

fellow airport representatives. 

Ensuring the safety and security of the flying public, employees, and other airport 

users is the top priority for airports. Above all else, we are entrusted by the traveling public to provide safe and secure air transportation. Checkpoint wait times 

that exceed an hour or longer at some of our Nation’s busiest airports, have negative 

impacts on all elements of the air transportation system. Passengers are frustrated, 

taking their frustrations out on TSA, airline, and airport employees; the anxiety 

caused by concern over missing a flight, or even worse, actually missing that flight, 

creates unease and unrest among all airport users. 

Several factors have been identified that have contributed to the checkpoint wait 

time issues. They include no increase in the number of Transportation Security Officers between fiscal years 2015 and 2016; the high rate of TSA attrition followed by 

the lengthy process to hire new TSOs; record growth in passenger traffic, and lagging numbers in PreCheck enrollment. Combined, they created a perfect storm of 

events that led to recent events. 

We have identified short-term and long-term recommendations that focus on key 

areas including the need for sufficient TSA staffing, increased PreCheck enrollment 

and participation, and the continued need to modernize airport infrastructure. We 

do not support the imposition of new passenger fees, rather we believe that the portion of the 9/11 passenger security fees that are currently being used to pay for 

other Government programs, should be used to fund TSA. 

PreCheck has proven to be very successful at SYR. Currently, almost 40% of passengers flying out of SYR are enrolled in PreCheck. We believe that this is the result of having an enrollment center in the terminal, our efforts to educate the public 

on the benefits of PreCheck, and while seemingly insignificant, the airport’s offer 

to validate parking for PreCheck applicants. PreCheck customers bring their receipt 

to the airport’s administration office after submitting their application and we validate their parking ticket. It is an incentive for people to make that appointment, 

drive to the airport, and enroll in PreCheck. While not all airports are in a position 

to offer free parking, we have found that it is enough of an incentive to get people 

to enroll in PreCheck. 

I would be remiss if I did not bring up the need to modernize airport infrastructure. Airports, like Syracuse, were not built to meet the demands of today’s security 

requirements. Prior to 2013, Syracuse was in the same position many airports find 

themselves in today. Long lines, missed flights, and angry passengers. We decided 

to do something about it, and committed our PFCs through 2027 for the Passenger 

Terminal Security Improvements Project. We built a new, second-level central 

checkpoint which was designed to bring both the physical screening of passengers 

and baggage in alignment with current-day security requirements, and it also allowed for expansion and implementation of future screening requirements. The new 

centralized security checkpoint has improved passenger and baggage screening at 

several levels; new screening equipment including advanced imaging technology, implementation of TSA PreCheck; improved customer service by consolidating TSA reVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:32 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\114THCONGRESS\16TS0526\FINAL\HM147070.TXT HEATH
9 

sources into one, centralized location; and the ability to implement new security requirements, such as the requirement to screen all concession employees. 

Following completion of the centralized security checkpoint, the airport reconfigured the checkpoints located at the entrance of each concourse as passenger exit 

points, which had previously been used for passenger and baggage screening, as the 

exits for passengers leaving the secure area. The airport then installed automated 

exit portals in each concourse. The automated exit portals allow passengers and employees to exit the secure area safely, while at the same preventing people from accessing the secure area. The portals provide a positive barrier to security breaches 

by preventing people and things from entering or accessing the secure area from a 

non-secure area. Through the use of sensors, the portals can detect items that are 

left in a portal, such as keys, a cell phone, or a bag. If a foreign object is detected, 

the sensor will cause the portal to lock down until security personnel sweep the portal and clear it for use again. In addition to the safety and security benefits of the 

exit portals, the cost savings are such that the portals have paid for themselves. Because the exit portals are automated, the airport is no longer required to physically 

monitor the exit lanes, thus eliminating the human error element. 

To place the blame solely on TSA is unfair and not a solution to the problem. 

Rather, we must work together to address the major underlying issues addressed 

before you today. What we have learned in Syracuse is that communication and cooperation between the airport, TSA, and the airlines is critical to safe and efficient 

operations. As proposed in the Checkpoint Optimization and Efficiency Act of 2016, we agree that advisory committees be established at a local level. Working together 

rather than pointing fingers is the first key step at the local level. 

What the airports can offer today is the experience we have running one of the 

most complicated and complex transportation systems in the world. We believe that 

the focus areas we have identified and the solutions we have proposed will address 

some of the immediate concerns, but also layout a long-term plan for the continued 

safety and security of the flying public. 

Thank you for your time this morning. 

Mr. KATKO. Thank you, Ms. Callahan. Syracuse is indeed very 

fortunate to have you at the helm at the airport. I can tell you from 

personal experience that it is a generally very pleasurable experience. The only thing that is difficult is when you are trying to get 

a flight to Kennedy and it always seemed to be delayed. 

But other than that, I really appreciate your efforts. Your forward thinking on getting a kiosk out at the airport, your forward 

thinking by giving free parking to TSA as like a marketing thing, 

that thinking outside the box, that is all good stuff. So thank you 

very much. 

I would like to have Ms. McSally introduce her friend from the 

Tucson airport. 

Ms. McSally. 

Ms. MCSALLY. Thank you, Chairman Katko. I just want to say 

I really appreciate you being my wingman on this issue and many 

issues, letting me join this hearing today. I am also grateful for you 

inviting Bonnie Allin to testify this morning. 

Bonnie is the president and CEO of the Tucson Airport Authority 

responsible for promoting aviation services and related economic 

development for southern Arizona, including operations and maintenance of the Tucson International Airport and Ryan Airfield, 

where she has first-hand experience on the challenges related to 

TSA staffing. 

Bonnie began her career in aviation in 1976 with the Tucson Airport Authority, then moved to Texas, where she worked for Corpus 

Christi International, ending her tenure as director of aviation. She 

holds the designation of accredited airport executive and is the past 

chairman of the International Association of Airport Executives. 

I am glad to have Bonnie with us today, and I yield back. 

Mr. KATKO. Ms. Allin, you are on. 

10 

STATEMENT OF BONNIE A. ALLIN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, 

TUCSON AIRPORT AUTHORITY, TUCSON, ARIZONA 

Ms. ALLIN. Thank you, Representative McSally, for the introduction. 

Good morning, Chairman Katko, Ranking Member Payne, honorable Members of the committee, Representative McSally. It is a 

privilege to appear before you this morning to discuss Tucson’s 

challenges with passenger screening wait times. 

Mr. Chairman and Members, thank you for your leadership on 

airport security and the protection of our passengers. 

Representative McSally, thank you for your leadership in protecting Tucson International Airport in southern Arizona. 

I was fortunate to participate in last week’s roundtable, which 

you mentioned, Mr. Chairman, and the discussion, and I am truly 

appreciative of the time and attention you are devoting to understanding the causes of checkpoint processing delays and your efforts to seek both short- and long-term solutions. Safety and security of our people, property, and aircraft are the highest priority. 

For those of you unfamiliar with Tucson International Airport, 

we are an origination and destination airport. Therefore, less than 

5 percent of our passengers connect through. Instead, all are 

screened by local TSA. Historical wait times average 10 to 15 minutes, with our peak times rarely exceeding 20, 25 minutes maximum, even when we had passenger levels 25 percent higher than 

we do today. 

Tucson’s high season, as opposed to many other airports, is November through March, with a very strong peak season mid-January through March. 

Mr. KATKO. I have to interject, and I can assure you that is not 

the high season in Syracuse. That is the high season for snow. I 

am sorry to interrupt you. I couldn’t resist. 

Ms. ALLIN. We would love for you to visit Tucson in February, 

sir. 

This year our visitors, many, many visitors from the northern 

part of the country, and our Tucsonian customers experienced wait 

times 45 and sometimes in excess of 60 minutes. There is an exhibit to my written testimony with a photo of the passengers lined 

up all across the front of our terminal. 

We have a very dedicated and loyal TSA staff who are committed 

to the safety, along with the efficient screening, of our passengers. 

Unfortunately, they lack the planning, coordination, and staffing 

resources needed to be able to efficiently process the passengers in 

our peak times. 

In May 2015, Tucson TSA lost between 10 and 13 percent of the 

workforce. It was a full year before replacements were trained and 

released to fully screen and have their duties. Combined with increased passenger levels, adding AIT equipment, and having limited authority due to inflexible staffing and processing models prescribed to them, they did not allow them to respond to the changing conditions, and as a result we experienced very long lines. 

I respectfully offer some recommended solutions for your consideration: 

11 

It is recommended that the local TSA have the ability to openly 

communicate with their airport and airline partners in order to 

better plan and allocate their resources. 

That flexibility, autonomy, and authority be delegated to local 

TSA, within parameters, to adjust for changing conditions, especially spoke airports, such as Tucson. 

That regular and consistent staffing at PreCheck lines be allocated so that they can be opened; Tucson’s 2 PreCheck lanes are 

open less than 5 hours a day, usually between 3 and 4. 

That the staffing allocation model be updated; it is inflexible and 

doesn’t allow for changing conditions. 

That better utilization of existing resources and personnel be 

made, especially Behavioral Detection Officers. 

That effective outreach and marketing of PreCheck and Global 

Entry, as we are close to the border and it is a very high use there, 

be done to increase enrollment. 

That development of technology to help provide solutions be 

given a priority. 

That optimization of checkpoints be customized to best fit each 

airport and the information shared. 

Airports are willing to invest in effective solutions. Tucson will begin a $10-plus million project in June to relocate and expand our 

checkpoints to improve throughput. If they are not properly 

equipped and staffed, all of those resources will be lost. 

Mr. Chairman and Members, while none of these recommendations alone are a perfect fix, by stakeholders working together, we 

have the opportunity to solve the checkpoint issues and enhance 

the safety of our aviation system. 

We commend you on the proposed legislation, Checkpoint Optimization and Efficiency Act of 2016. If enacted, it will go a very 

long way towards providing solutions to the checkpoint wait issues. 

Thank you for this opportunity to share my views. I would be 

happy to answer any questions you might have. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Allin follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF BONNIE A. ALLIN

MAY 26, 2016 

Good afternoon. My name is Bonnie Allin. I am the president/CEO of the Tucson 

Airport Authority, Federally-certificated operator of Tucson International Airport, a 

commercial service airport located in southern Arizona. The 5 largest U.S. domestic 

airlines providing service at Tucson International Airport fly to 18 non-stop destinations and/or connect our passengers to other destinations throughout the world. 

These airlines enplane approximately 1.8 million passengers each year, which is 

down from our peak in 2008 of approximately 2.1 million enplanements, a number 

we are beginning to grow back through various air service development initiatives. 

Ninety-five (95) percent of our traffic is origination/destination passengers, which 

means virtually everyone who travels through Tucson is subject to screening. Historically, passenger wait times at Tucson International Airport averaged approximately 10–15 minutes with maximum times rarely exceeding 20–30 minutes (even 

when we were at higher passenger levels). The safe, efficient, and convenient processing of passengers is a key element in growing our passenger levels. 

Chairman Katko, Ranking Member Payne, Representative McSally, Members of 

Congress, Members of the subcommittee, thank you for your leadership in this 

transportation security issue and the opportunity to speak with you today. It is my 

privilege to be here before you today to represent Category 1 (CAT1) airports. 

Mr. Chairman and Members, on behalf of all airports, we appreciate the efforts 

by Congress to determine the causes of the security screening checkpoint issues and 

to explore meaningful solutions that provide efficiency without sacrificing security. 

12 

I also thank you for the opportunity to be with you this morning to discuss some 

of the challenges facing Tucson International Airport with regard to growing wait 

times at passenger screening checkpoints. 

I was fortunate enough to participate in last week’s roundtable discussion on the 

same topic, and I am truly appreciative of the time and attention the subcommittee 

has devoted to understanding the causes of checkpoint processing delays and for 

your efforts to seek immediate and long-term action to address what is both an inconvenience for travelers and a security threat. 

I also want to thank Representative McSally for her focus on this issue and for 

her work to draw attention to some of the specific challenges we face in Tucson. 

The safety and security of people, property, and aircraft are our highest priority. 

Airports, airlines, and the TSA share the responsibility to provide this protection 

to the best of our combined abilities at commercial airports throughout the United 

States. This proactive protection can best be provided when all responsible parties 

are able to communicate effectively and have the authority to work collaboratively 

and cooperatively. It should be seamless and invisible to the traveling public, and 

it should be convenient and customer-friendly. Airports appreciate the very critical 

mission TSA has to screen and protect passengers and property, and we applaud 

the dedication of the front line screeners who have a very challenging job. We commend the willingness of Administrator Neffenger to listen to stakeholders and effect 

change. We have a dedicated local TSA staff, with which we have a very good working relationship. 

Like many airports across the United States, Tucson International Airport has experienced issues with long security checkpoint lines due to TSA short-staffing, the 

unavailability of PreCheck, and a host of other issues. Tucson International Airport’s peak period was January through April. During February and March peak periods, passenger lines would stretch from 1 of our 2 concourse checkpoints across 

the ticket lobby almost reaching the other end of the terminal. Please see Exhibit 

A. Flights were delayed to wait for passengers or some missed their flights. With 

full loads, rebooking was often a problem, particularly for those international customers with connections attending the International Tucson Gem and Mineral 

Show. 

The long lines at security checkpoints at U.S. commercial airports, including Tucson International Airport, clearly indicate the system is not working efficiently or 

meeting the shared goals. Tucson’s historical average wait time was 10–15 minutes, 

and even when in years when passenger levels were at their highest, peak times 

rarely exceeded 20–30 minutes. A common theme heard across the Nation’s airports 

is increased number of passengers, increased leisure passengers, which are often 

families who are not frequent fliers and are slower to accomplish the screening process, and a reduction in TSA staffing over the last few years. This can be very frustrating when there is unused capacity in extra security lanes, but no TSA personnel 

to open them because of manpower shortage issues. Tucson is an origination and 

destination airport with less than 5% of our passengers transferring, thus has a 

high proportion of passengers to be screened. 

In addition, under the TSA model, PreCheck is open on average less than 5 hours 

a day (both concourses total) due to TSA being understaffed and not able to get the 

manpower needed to provide this important service. As we observe and understand 

the model, one regular lane is open and PreCheck passenger are provided ‘‘PreCheck 

light.’’ PreCheck light is where a passenger is given a card by the Travel Document 

Checker (TDC) that allows the passenger to keep their shoes and jacket on, but 

must divest of all other items such as liquids and laptops. They then must go 

through the same screening line as the non-PreCheck customers. This is unfortunate because the TSA promotes this program, passengers pay to sign up, then face 

disappointment and extreme frustration when they arrive at the airport and find 

that the TSA PreCheck lane is not open. The TSA needs to commit to this program, 

and this commitment requires staffing resources. 

TSA has limitations on the number of Full Time Employee (FTEs) they can hire. 

TSA could be more flexible and cross-train functions to perform more than one security task to increase efficiency when scheduling or manpower demands arise. For 

instance, Behavior Detection Officers (BDOs) are not certified to perform all screening functions like X-ray, but are trained to be TDCs utilizing their deception detection training. 

The TSA is facing a manpower shortage, and it will take time for the TSA to hire, 

train, and certify the new FTEs. Short-term solutions aimed at reducing customer 

wait times are necessary to manage the summer travel season. 

I would like to ask your consideration of potential recommended solutions. 

Establish more effective and consistent communication and coordination. 

13 

We applaud your proposed legislation ‘‘Checkpoint Optimization and Efficiency 

Act of 2016’’ requiring each airport establish a joint committee of airport, airline, 

and TSA representatives that has mandatory meetings, and has the authority to review advance boarding data, proactively plan and schedule for the effective screening of passengers and bags, and the protection of property and aircraft. The committee should have the ability to meet, as necessary, to react to emerging issues. 

TSA’s local airport representatives should be delegated the authority to be an effective member of the committee and have the ability to make quick adjustments 

within established broad parameters to meet the mission. 

When lines reach a certain maximum throughput with 1 lane open, the local TSA 

is authorized to open a second regular lane. The staffing model does not allow sufficient staff to open the PreCheck lane instead of a regular lane which would greatly 

expedite the screening process throughput. Some small airports have reported that 

TSA will close their checkpoint for the night after the last scheduled departure due 

to the inability to keep staff on overtime. Passengers track the flight via the airline 

and know a flight is late, show up for the flight and are not allowed to board because they cannot be screened. Local control to manage unusual situations would 

greatly improve throughput capabilities. 

More efficient use of existing resources is recommended. Your legislations’ proposal to utilize TSA BDOs during peak periods to the TDC positions would provide 

an immediate increase in manpower. This will allow the BDOs to use their behavioral detection skills by having direct contact with every passenger prior to the passenger passing through the security screening checkpoint. We understand and appreciate that Administrator Neffenger has already approved this change. 

Allow the TSA the flexibility to utilize non-certified screening personnel to perform divestiture, bin-running, line management, and exit lane duties during peak 

times. This will allow the certified Transportation Screening Officers (TSOs} to focus 

on and expedite the security screening functions. 

Authorize the immediate replacement of and expedite the hiring of replacement 

TSOs. Currently, the hiring process can take as long as 12 months for the TSA to 

hire, train, and certify replacement personnel. In May 2015 Tucson International 

Airport TSA lost 10% of its workforce. Those positions, plus others lost through regular attrition were not hired, trained, certified and in place until the end of April 

2016. This process is too long, degrades efficiency, and creates extreme passenger 

frustration through long wait or missed flights. 

Authorize the TSA to conduct standardized local TSO training until the backlog 

of hiring and training is eliminated. A long-term solution could be to consider opening more than one center, geographically located throughout the country to allow 

for shorter waits for training slots. 

Appropriately staff all airport security screening checkpoints, including having 

dedicated staff and a predictable schedule to adequately staff the PreCheck during 

peak travel hours and airport operating hours. 

In many cases, the Federal Security Director may be responsible for more than 

1 airport. This means that ‘‘spoke airports’’ are geographically separated (example: 

Phoenix and Tucson; Las Vegas and Reno). It is recommended that the TSA official 

at the ‘‘spoke airport’’ have the authority to effectively manage for exceptions and 

have the flexibility to increase part-time hours, reduce the need for excessive overtime, and make other operational decisions, as needed. 

Update the TSA Staffing Allocation Model (SAM) to be flexible and adapt to the 

changing conditions of an airport and airline environment. The present model is 

rigid and relies heavily on the prior years’ data. The SAM needs to be reviewed frequently (perhaps quarterly) and incorporate triggers that better take into account 

new flights, new or up-gauged equipment, the change in passenger numbers, expanded hours, etc. When the triggers are activated, there should be the flexibility 

to make adjustments immediately. Allow local TSA involvement and consultation or 

sharing with local airports and airlines. 

Allow TSA to authorize the PreCheck enrollment contractor to deploy flexible 

strategies for enrollment in airports at peak times. The Contractor needs to have 

an effective education and marketing program to inform and register passengers for 

PreCheck. Offsite centers do not attract or inform passengers. They are most likely 

to sign up when standing in checkpoint lines. Consider reduced or no-cost enrollment until the numbers reach TSA goals. 

Deploy passenger screening canines at the high volume airports to expedite the 

screening process. 

Your Congressional review and oversight of how the financial resources collected 

from passengers are utilized to ensure the resources are prioritized and effectively 

used for the benefit of protection of people, aviation property, and aircraft would be 

helpful. 

14 

Technology should be developed, tested, approved, and deployed in an expedient 

time frame. Consider funding pilot programs with academic or private company 

partnerships to encourage development of new technology. 

Understand that each airport has infrastructure and needs that are unique and 

different from other airports. There is no ‘‘one size fits all.’’ While there needs to 

be standardization in the security screening process, the layout of checkpoints 

should include more flexibility to make adjustments that allow for the effective use 

the area, equipment, and personnel. 

Deploy the TSA optimization teams to review the checkpoint layouts and include 

the airport and airlines serving that airport in the review and recommendation 

process. 

We are grateful to advise that the TSA at Tucson International Airport is receiving the trained staff replacements, and are able to adjust the overtime to better 

cover peak periods. We are now at the end of our busy season, and with these replacements, the lines’ wait times have been reduced and are now closer to normal. 

Our concern is that when traffic picks up in the fall for the holidays and our peak 

season that the long lines will return. With implementation of the changes you recommend, especially allowing for PreCheck to be open longer, this can be mitigated. 

We are also hopeful that some of these recommendations will be helpful to many 

airports throughout the United States. 

As a long-term solution, the Tucson Airport Authority is doing its part by investing $10.7 million into relocating both checkpoints to allow for additional lanes to accommodate passenger growth through a Terminal Optimization Project. This solution will only be effective if it is appropriately equipped and staffed. 

In closing, I want to thank Chairman Katko, Ranking Member Payne, Representative McSally, Members of Congress, Members of the subcommittee, for your time 

today and your thoughtful consideration of the issues and solutions presented. We 

also appreciate TSA Administrator Neffenger’s willingness to work toward and try 

ideas to achieve solutions. Airports stand ready to work with you and the TSA to 

put in place effective solutions that properly protect and serve our passengers. 

Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you. I am happy to answer any 

questions you may have. 

15 

ATTACHMENT.—EXHIBIT A 


h:\seals\232461.eps
16 

Mr. KATKO. Thank you, Ms. Allin, for your testimony. We appreciate you being here today. It is interesting to juxtapose your experiences at your airport with what we experience in Syracuse. It 

seems like the larger the airport, the more acute the problems. 

Now we are going to talk to Ms. Beairsto about that. 

So, Ms. Beairsto, I appreciate your testimony today, and you 

have 5 minutes. Thank you. 


h:\seals\232462.eps
17 

STATEMENT OF LYDIA BEAIRSTO, MANAGING DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION, 

CITY OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. Thank you, Chairman Katko, Ranking Member 

Payne, and Members of the subcommittee for inviting me to testify 

today on this important issue of providing efficient and safe passenger screening at our airports. My name is Lydia Beairsto. I 

serve as the managing deputy commissioner for public safety and 

security for the Chicago Department of Aviation, overseeing O’Hare 

and Midway International Airports. 

Chicago manages 2 of the Nation’s busiest airports, O’Hare and 

Midway, and it is the only single-city system that serves as a hub 

for 3 major airlines, United, American, and Southwest Airlines. In 

2015, 98 million passengers passed through our airports combined. 

In 2016 and beyond, those numbers are projected to grow. Our airports serve as an economic engine, contributing $45 billion in annual economic activity, creating 540,000 jobs. We are a 

major part of the air ecosystem. When O’Hare sneezes, the rest of 

the country catches a cold. 

Passenger safety and security is our top priority, and it is certainly mine. In March, suicide bombings at Brussels Airport killed 

16 people in the airport check-in areas and 16 others in the city 

metro station. Long security lines, large crowds of passengers in 

queues are not just an inconvenience. They, themselves, expose a 

vulnerability and security risk. 

By more efficiently moving passengers into the screened and secure areas, we are increasing safety and security. This year, there 

has been a 7 percent growth in passenger activity, while TSA staffing levels declined nearly 17 percent. 

Airports and airlines began raising concerns about security staffing for the summer travel season as early as last summer. By early 

May of this year, as our peak travel season started, we started experiencing a total breakdown. Passenger wait times were consistently 60 minutes or more. Airline passengers have reported wait 

times as high as 120 minutes, with thousands of passengers missing their flights. 

The delays we experienced were knowable and preventable. Staff 

resources went down as security operating procedures changed. 

Moving forward to address these issues, TSA resources are needed to increase and meet passenger demand. TSA needs to manage 

existing resources better. TSA needs flexibility and local authority 

to respond to situations on the ground. 

May 13, a traveler at Midway Airport posted a YouTube video 

documenting significant checkpoint lines. Six out of 17 lanes were 

staffed by TSA. 

At O’Hare, the situation reached crisis point on Sunday, May 15, 

where without adequate staffing American Airlines reported 543 

passengers were impacted by long lines. United Airlines experienced 37 flight delays and rebooked over 4,300 passengers, many 

of which, as you noted, Chairman, stayed overnight at the airport 

sleeping on cots. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel worked with key officials from DHS, TSA, 

and members of Chicago’s Congressional delegation to secure immediate resources for the city. TSA sent in optimization teams. 

18 

They committed to add 58 officers to O’Hare, converted over 160 

part-timers to a full-time duty, increased overtime, and provided 8 

additional K–9 teams to O’Hare from around the country. 

We greatly appreciate Administrator Neffenger’s responsiveness 

and that resources arrived so quickly for O’Hare. We are working 

to ensure similar prompt responses to the needs and concerns at 

Midway Airport. 

This response was possible because Congress approved TSA’s reprogramming request, and we are grateful to you for taking that 

quick action. 

To ensure transparency, we will be releasing a biweekly scorecard showing average and maximum wait times, staffing and resource levels provided by TSA. 

In the short term, in order to manage the spring and summer 

travel season ahead, there are a few critical resources and management steps that we need to ensure are happening: 

Reallocate passenger-screening K–9 teams based on the aviation 

system priorities. 

Ensure TSA is transparent about its staffing allocation models 

and levels; information transparency helps us better predict potential staffing strategies and shortages. 

Provide Federal security directors the ability to make local decisions about manpower allocation and overtime. 

Ensure checkpoints are open on time or risk playing catch-up all 

day. 

Streamline TSA PreCheck enrollment process. 

In the long term we need to be looking at ramping up resources, 

including passenger screening K–9s. To prepare for future growth, 

we need to start now, as training K–9s can take approximately up 

to 8 months. We need to invest in our security infrastructure and 

checkpoint expansion projects and invest in technology solutions 

that enhance security and achieve operational efficiencies. 

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss these important and 

timely issues with you today. We are eager to work with you and 

secure needed resources to address short-term and long-term airport security challenges. 

Mr. KATKO. Thank you, Ms. Beairsto. Much of what you described towards the end of your testimony is embodied in the bill 

we are going to be presenting today to Congress. It is born out of 

our discussions with some of the folks in the audience last week 

and some of you, and I appreciate that. It is important. 

One side thing that you said that caught me was opening the 

gates on time. If I understand, and perhaps you can all comment 

on this later, sometimes they open the gate at, like, 5:30 in the 

morning, but they don’t actually start screening passengers for a 

while because they have to calibrate the machines and stuff. Then 

once the back-up starts, you can’t catch up. That is just poor planning. 

So there is much more to talk about with all of, but thank you 

very much for your testimony. 

I now recognize Ms. Kerry Philipovitch, the senior vice president 

for customer experience at American Airlines—which I know very 

well because that is how I get here every week—for her testimony. 

19 

STATEMENT OF KERRY PHILIPOVITCH, SENIOR VICE 

PRESIDENT, CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, AMERICAN AIRLINES 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. Thank you for flying with us. 

Good morning Chairman Katko, Congressman Payne, and Members of the subcommittee. My name is Kerry Philipovitch, senior 

vice president of customer experience at American Airlines, testifying on behalf of Airlines for America. Thank you for inviting me 

here today to discuss the impact TSA security lines is having on 

our customers. 

There is nothing more important to the airline industry than the 

safety and security of our passengers, employees, and cargo. We 

have never seen TSA wait times that affect airlines and passengers 

throughout the United States like we have seen in recent months. 

Without immediate leadership and innovation, the 231 million 

Americans that will board a plane this summer will be frustrated 

and angry. We are working collaboratively with the TSA to develop 

and implement solutions to the pressing problem of excessive wait 

times. 

Last year, programs that had been in place to drive efficiency 

and increase security throughput were eliminated without adding 

resources required to support longer passenger processing times. 

The result is a screening process that is causing unacceptably long 

security lines and a frustrated flying public. 

Our discussions with TSA revealed 3 other contributing factors. 

First, it appears TSA did not adjust its staffing model after screening protocols were changed. Second, TSA is experiencing abnormally high attrition and is unable to retain transportation security 

officers, or TSOs. Third, the TSA PreCheck program, which allows 

low-risk passengers to go through expedited screening, has not met 

enrollment goals. 

All of these factors combined cause a systemic slowdown in passenger processing at security checkpoints, resulting in delays and 

missed flights. Year-to-date, more than 70,000 American Airlines 

customers have missed flights due to excessive wait times. 

The same challenges at the passenger checkpoints bog down 

screening of checked baggage, which is also a core TSA function. 

This year alone, over 40,000 checked bags were delayed in TSA 

screening and did not travel on their scheduled flights. 

To say customers are agitated is putting it mildly and the public outcry has resonated. Congress recently reallocated $34 million in 

funding to the TSA to hire more TSOs by June 15. We are also 

glad to see that TSA is working to shift K–9 teams to airports experiencing the worst delays, rebalancing staffing, and hiring more 

TSOs. 

However, TSA needs to do more, and more collaboration is needed to minimize the impact on summer travelers, airports, airline 

employees, and the overall economy. 

Airlines are pitching in to do our part. We are committing millions of dollars to fund nonsecurity functions like bin running and 

queue management so TSAs can focus solely on screening customers. 

At American this summer, we are adding an additional $4 mil- lion on top of the $17 million already planned to spend this year 

to facilitate passengers through TSA checkpoints at our largest airVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:32 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 H:\114THCONGRESS\16TS0526\FINAL\HM147070.TXT HEATH
20 

ports. Airlines have advised customers to arrive at the airport 2 

hour in advance of a domestic flight and 3 hours prior to an international departure to ensure sufficient time to clear security. This 

added time in the travel process is inconvenient and will likely affect less frequent travelers who are not familiar with the screening 

process. 

We are launching aggressive campaigns to promote TSA 

PreCheck to our customers and employees. As PreCheck enrollment 

increases, however, TSA must commit to keep PreCheck lanes open 

and sufficiently staffed throughout the day, especially during peak 

travel times. 

The industry is also exploring ways to facility support for additional K–9 teams, including whether TSA can use certified K–9s 

from other Governmental agencies to conduct passenger screening. 

When K–9 teams are deployed, TSA can increase passengers going 

through TSA PreCheck. 

We as an industry are doing our part to help TSA manage 

through this challenge. However, airline actions alone cannot solve 

the problem. We need a partner in TSA that will consider innovative ideas to mitigate wait times immediately and in the long run. 

In the short term, to augment resources, TSA could declare an 

all-hands-on-deck for the summer, much like we do at our airports 

during peak and irregular operations. All available staff should be 

assigned to help at passengers screening checkpoints. TSA resources should be prioritized based on airports with the most need 

and projected traffic volumes. 

TSA could look at ways to spur enrollment in TSA PreCheck by 

streamlining the enrollment process. To ensure that enrollment resources don’t become a new bottleneck, TSA should expedite its selection of third-party enrollment providers. 

We also support the idea to give Federal security directors the 

ability to cooperate with their airline partners to make local decisions about manpower resource allocation without having to consult TSA headquarters. 

All parties need to work collaboratively to manage through the 

summer. Full transparency to staffing models and performance 

data is required to engage all stakeholders in troubleshooting 

issues. We can’t be a part of the solution if we don’t have all the 

facts. 

To that point, we applaud TSA for its decision this week to stand 

up a National command center and institute daily stakeholder calls 

to better prepare for each day’s challenges. 

In the long run, TSA could review current security protocols to 

ensure there are no unnecessary procedures. As part of this review, 

TSA should consider additional methods for increasing risk-based 

screening, some of which were discontinued this year. 

Airlines and airports are eager to work with TSA to expedite 

next-generation screening technology, including innovation lanes. 

Finally, TSA must create a position that reports to the administrator to advocate for customers within the TSA, much as airlines 

and many airports have executives dedicated to improving customer experience. 

These are just a few ideas that American Airlines and A4A believe can help reduce the congestion in security screening. Of 

21 

course, Congress can help by ensuring Administrator Neffenger 

and his team have the tools and resources needed to improve 

screening, including ensuring that the passenger security fee collected for TSA goes to TSA. 

Ultimately, the TSA screening issue was not created overnight 

and will not be solved overnight. However, we must work together 

to offer ideas and resources to TSA while Administrator Neffenger 

and his team review current screening protocols, funding priorities, 

and management practices. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today, and I would be 

happy to answer any questions you might have. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Philipovitch follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF KERRY PHILIPOVITCH

MAY 26, 2016 

Good morning Chairman Katko, Ranking Member Rice, and Members of the subcommittee. My name is Kerry Philipovitch, senior vice president of customer experience at American Airlines, testifying on behalf of Airlines for America. Thank you 

for inviting me here today to discuss the impact TSA security lines is having on our 

customers. 

The subcommittee’s focus on this issue is both timely and beneficial since we are 

just 2 days shy of the Memorial Day weekend and the start of the busy summer 

travel season. Regardless of timing, there is nothing more important to the airline 

industry than the safety and security of our passengers, employees, and cargo. 

We have never seen TSA wait times that affect airlines and passengers throughout the United States like we’ve seen in recent months. Without immediate leadership and innovation, the 231 million Americans that will board a plane this summer 

will be frustrated and angry passengers. We are working collaboratively with the 

TSA to develop and implement short-, medium-, and long-term solutions to the 

pressing problem of excessive wait times, but more needs to be done, and fast. 

THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

Up until last year, TSA front-line employees kept our skies safe while efficiently 

moving passengers through the screening process. Programs that had been in place 

to drive efficiency and increase security throughput were then eliminated without 

adding commensurate resources required to support longer passenger processing 

times. The result is a screening process that is causing unacceptably long security 

lines and a frustrated flying public. 

Our discussions with the TSA have revealed 3 other contributing factors. First, 

it appears TSA did not adjust its staffing model after screening protocols were 

changed. Second, TSA is experiencing abnormally high attrition and is unable to retain Transportation Security Officers, or TSOs. Third, the TSA PreCheck program, 

which allows low-risk passengers to go through an expedited screening process, has 

not met enrollment goals. 

All of these factors combined caused a systemic slowdown in passenger processing 

at security checkpoints, resulting in delays and missed flights. Year-to-date, more 

than 70,000 American Airlines customers have missed flights due to excessive wait 

times. 

The same challenges at passenger checkpoints bog down screening of checked baggage, which is also a core TSA function. This year alone, over 40,000 checked bags 

were delayed in TSA screening and did not travel on their scheduled flight, causing 

further inconvenience to our customers. 

To say customers are agitated is putting it mildly, and the public outcry has resonated. Congress recently reallocated $34 million in funding to TSA to hire more 

TSOs by June 15. We are also glad to see that TSA is working to shift canine teams 

to airports experiencing the worst delays, rebalancing staffing and hiring more 

TSOs. 

However, TSA needs to do more, and more collaboration is needed to minimize 

the impact on summer travelers, airports, airline employees, and the overall economy. 

22 

AIRLINES ARE DOING OUR PART TO SUPPORT TSA

Airlines are pitching in to do our part. We are committing millions of dollars to 

fund non-security functions—like bin running and queue management—so TSOs can 

focus solely on the screening aspects of their jobs. At American, this summer we are 

adding an additional $4 million on top of our $17 million of planned spend this year 

to facilitate passengers through TSA checkpoints at our largest airports. 

Airlines have advised customers to arrive at the airport 2 hours in advance of a 

domestic flight and 3 hours prior to an international departure to ensure sufficient 

time to clear security. This added time in the travel process is inconvenient, and 

will likely affect less frequent travelers who are not familiar with the screening 

process. The added hassle also has the potential to significantly dampen demand for 

air travel. 

We are launching aggressive campaigns to promote TSA PreCheck to our customers and employees. As PreCheck enrollment increases, however, TSA must commit to keep PreCheck lanes open and sufficiently staffed, reliably throughout the 

day, especially during peak travel times. 

When canine teams are deployed, TSA can increase passengers going through 

TSA PreCheck. The industry is also exploring ways to facilitate support for additional canine teams, including whether TSA can use certified canines from other 

Governmental agencies to conduct passenger screening. 

We, as an industry, are doing our part to help TSA manage through this challenge. 

AIRLINES ARE WILLING TO WORK WITH TSA TO SOLVE THE SECURITY SCREENING ISSUE

However, airline actions alone cannot solve the problem. We need a partner in 

TSA that will consider innovative ideas to mitigate wait times immediately and in 

the long run. 

In the short term, to augment resources, TSA could declare an ‘‘all hands on deck’’ 

for the summer much like we do at airports during peak and irregular operations. 

All available staff—whether full-time, part-time, administrative, or based at headquarters—should be assigned to help at passenger screening checkpoints. TSA resources should be prioritized based on airports with the most need and projected 

traffic volumes. 

TSA could look at ways to spur enrollment in TSA PreCheck by streamlining the 

enrollment process, and potentially reducing the fee to enroll. To ensure that enrollment resources don’t become a new bottleneck, TSA should expedite its selection of 

third-party enrollment providers. 

We also encourage TSA to give Federal Security Directors the ability to coordinate 

and cooperate with their airline partners to make local decisions about manpower 

resource allocation without having to consult TSA headquarters. 

TSA, airports, and airlines need to work collaboratively to manage through the 

summer. Full transparency to staffing models and performance data is required to 

engage all stakeholders in troubleshooting issues. We can’t be a part of the solution 

if we don’t have all the facts. 

To that point, we applaud TSA for its decision, this week, to stand up a National 

command center and institute a daily stakeholder call to better prepare for each 

day’s challenges. 

In the long run, TSA could review current security protocols to ensure there is 

no duplication or unnecessary procedures. As a part of this review, TSA should consider additional methods for increasing risk-based screening, some of which were 

discontinued last year. 

Airlines and airports are eager to work with TSA to expedite next generation 

screening technology, such as that found in Innovation Lanes. 

Finally, TSA must create a position that reports to the administrator to advocate 

for customers within TSA, just as airlines and many airports have executives dedicated to improving customer experience. 

These are just a few ideas that American Airlines and A4A believe can help reduce the severe congestion in airport security screening. Of course, Congress can 

help by ensuring Administrator Neffenger and his team have the tools and resources needed to improve screening, including ensuring that the passenger security 

fee collected for TSA goes to TSA. 

A SHORT-TERM MORATORIUM ON BAGGAGE FEES WILL NOT HELP OR FIX THE BROKEN

SYSTEM

We challenge all stakeholders to offer constructive ideas that will bring relief. Yet, 

one idea we have heard is for airlines to waive checked baggage fees this summer. 

23 

The rationale is that the number of bags screened at passenger checkpoints would 

decrease so appreciably that the TSA wait times would return to normal. The 

premise of the idea is flat-out wrong, and distracts from the root problems of the 

TSA crisis. 

The fact is that bag fees have been in place since 2008, but travelers have never 

been impacted by TSA wait times like we’ve recently seen. 

Over the last few months, all passengers have experienced long TSA lines, even 

those flying on carriers that do not charge bag fees. Chicago Midway, for example, 

is served predominantly by one of our competitors that does not charge checked baggage fees, yet airport security wait times have still been in excess of 90 minutes. 

There is simply no correlation. 

Waiving checked baggage fees would not have any material impact on wait times. 

Indeed, TSA’s own data shows the number of checked bags per person has remained 

relatively unchanged for the past 5 years. 

What we do believe, however, is that eliminating bag fees certainly would increase 

the number and size of checked bags. Additional checked bags would further inundate TSA baggage screening, which already lacks the resources to timely and consistently screen checked bags. 

Phoenix and Miami, two of American’s hubs, have suffered from baggage delays 

in recent months. Both airports have sustained tens of thousands of misconnected 

checked bags solely due to TSA issues. 

This idea isn’t helpful, it’s harmful. It wouldn’t help the core problem of wait 

times but it would make the checked baggage problem worse. And, at a time all airlines are trying to help TSA through their crisis, it is diverting attention from that 

effort. 

WORKING TOWARD A SOLUTION

Ultimately, the TSA screening issue was not created overnight, and will not be 

solved overnight. However, we must work together to offer ideas and resources to 

TSA while Administrator Neffenger and his team review current screening protocols, funding priorities, and management practices. 

The industry continues to work cooperatively with TSA, airports and other stakeholders to better serve our valued customers. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify, and I would be happy to answer any 

questions you may have. 

Mr. KATKO. Thank you, Ms. Philipovitch. I appreciate your testimony. 

We will have several follow-up questions for all of you, of course. 

I now recognize David Cox, National president of the American 

Federation of Government Employees, for his testimony. 

Mr. Cox. 

STATEMENT OF J. DAVID COX, SR., NATIONAL PRESIDENT, 

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES 

Mr. COX. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Representative Payne, 

Members of the committee. I am proud to testify today on behalf 

of the 42,000 transportation security officers, TSOs, that AFGE 

represents that stand on the side of the safety of the flying American public. 

TSOs point to 4 issues that have conspired to produce the acute 

situation at airports we see today. No. 1, the size of the TSO workforce did not keep pace with passenger volume. No. 2, TSA’s budget 

was deprived of much-needed funding by the decision of Congress 

to divert a portion of the security fee to deficit reduction. No. 3, the 

focus on the patchwork of airline, airport, and contract employees 

shifted focus away from the TSO workforce that is the present and 

future of aviation security. No. 4, TSOs are subject to second-class 

treatment that hurts the morale of TSOs who stay on the job and 

causes too many experienced screeners to leave TSA. 

24 

As passenger volume has increased 15 percent between 2013 and 

2016, TSA lost almost 5,000 screeners and failed to replace them. 

TSA’s hiring was focused on part-time workers who have a much 

higher attrition rate than full-time TSOs. TSA’s staffing methodology and model depended on PreCheck enrollments that never 

happened. Congress cut the budget for TSA personnel and imposed 

arbitrary caps on the number of full-time screeners. 

Staffing shortages are obvious to the public because they experience long lines. Least obvious are the effect of shortages on the 

TSO workforce—missed trainings, meals, and rest breaks, missed 

position rotations that are necessary to keep your focus, cancelled 

days off, and months of mandatory overtime, resulting in very tired 

and erratic scheduling. This is no way to run airport security. 

AFGE advocates an increase of 6,000 additional full-time TSOs 

to the workforce. The figure represents the decrease in the size of 

the TSA workforce since 2011 as passenger volume has grown 15 

percent. 

AFGE also calls on Congress to end the arbitrary and severe cap 

on full-time TSOs. When Congress voted to divert 60 cents of the 

$5.60 security fee per enplanement to the Treasury rather than 

TSA, it deprived the agency of 1.25 billion—that is billion with a 

‘‘b’’—dollars each year. It is time for Congress to dedicate the proceeds of the security fee to TSA to be used for its intended purpose, 

funding the agency’s security mission and hiring staff. 

Introducing airline and airport employees and private contract 

employees into the framework of checkpoint security is, at best, a 

temporary bandage. Years of on-the-job experience and commitment to the public are the services that are lost when the TSO 

workforce is replaced with airport and airline employees. 

Airport authorities should be aware that they are not going to 

get more screeners under the Screening Partnership Program and 

that there are long checkpoint waits at airports with private 

screeners. 

Despite the importance of their work, TSOs receive second-class 

treatment from their employer, the Federal Government. TSA is 

the only Federal agency that is allowed to excuse itself from the 

fundamental workplace rights and protections found in title 5 of 

the U.S. Code. TSA does not follow the Fair Labor Standards Act 

and the Office of Personnel Management guidelines on leave. TSA 

does not have statutory title 7 protections against discrimination, 

and they are not paid under the general schedule like the majority 

of Federal workforce. TSOs lack the ability to appeal adverse personnel actions to a neutral third party, like the Merit System Protection Board, even those TSO management has that right. 

To paraphrase the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., justice delayed has been justice denied to the TSO workforce. It is well within the authority of both the Congress and TSA to provide TSOs the 

same workplace rights and protections as other Federal workers. 

We urge Administrator Neffenger to apply title 5 rights and protections to the TSO workforce. Congress should pass H.R. 4488, the 

Rights of Transportation Security Officers Act, introduced by Representatives Bennie Thompson and Nita Lowey. The bill requires 

that TSA follow the same workplace rules as most agencies in the 

Federal Government. Congress should also ensure funding to TSA 

25 

to provide 5 percent retention raises to TSOs who have been on the 

job for 2 or more years. 

Transportation Security Officers do all they can to screen passengers. That is why AFGE pledges to work with TSA, Congress, 

and the public on solutions for the long lines. Mr. Chairman, AFGE 

is asking and seeking a seat at the table to be part of the solution, 

not part of the problem, in what we are currently experiencing in 

TSA. 

Thank you very much for allowing me to testify today. I would 

be glad to take any questions. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Cox follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF J. DAVID COX, SR. 

MAY 26, 2016 

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Rice, and Members of the subcommittee: My 

name is J. David Cox, Sr., and I am the National president of the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL–CIO (AFGE). On behalf of the more than 

670,000 Federal and District of Columbia workers our union represents, including 

over 42,000 Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) working to provide safe and secure travel for over 2 million passengers each day, I thank you for the opportunity 

to testify today on ‘‘Long Lines, Short Patience: Local Perspectives.’’ TSOs have always stood on the side of the flying public. Their job is to provide efficient screening 

to the best of their abilities to keep passengers safe when they fly. Even though 

TSOs did not create the conditions resulting in seemingly endless lines at airport 

checkpoints, they are ones who must deal directly with the shortsightedness of the 

Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the airlines, airport authorities, and 

the Congress. AFGE’s TSA members have much to offer as all parties begin to work 

together to resolve the challenges of long passenger wait times without sacrificing 

security. 

The TSO workforce observes current conditions at checkpoint and also witnessed 

the emergence and growth of all the problems that are only recently the subject of 

news stories. These long lines were an inevitable consequence of decisions that have 

been made by TSA and Congress over the past 5 years. TSOs can point to 4 issues 

that have conspired to produce the acute situation we see today: (1) Decline in the 

size of the TSO workforce; (2) Diversion of the security fee; (3) Emphasis on an 

array of non-Federal personnel as a temporary ‘‘fix’’ to staffing issues; and (4) Second-class treatment of the TSO workforce. 

1. The TSO workforce was allowed deliberately to fall by attrition while passenger volume increased.—TSA admits that TSO staffing levels fell from 47,147 

full-time employees to 42,525 between 2013 and 2016. Concurrent passenger 

volume rose 15 percent in this period. According to recent Congressional statements, in 2014, TSA only hired 373 workers to replace the 4,644 who left the 

agency. The few employees hired during that period of time were disproportionately part-time TSOs who have a much higher attrition rate than the full-time 

TSO workforce. Congress cut the TSA budget for TSO compensation and benefits and continued a misguided cap on the number of full-time employees. TSA 

failed to request the funding needed to fully staff checkpoints or even hire up 

to the statutory cap. TSA’s staffing projections included passenger participation 

in PreCheck that never materialized. The Staffing Allocation Model (SAM) did 

not take into account these factors and clearly fell short of the deployments necessary to prevent long waits at checkpoint. The impact on the flying public is 

obvious: Wait times that are up to 3 hours long and missed flights have become 

a normal part of the flying experience for passengers. The impact on TSOs is 

less obvious: TSOs often do not rotate positions (a requirement to retain focus), 

miss trainings, meals, and rest breaks and for months have endured mandatory 

overtime and cancelled days off due to TSA’s operational needs. Female TSOs 

face an additional burden because of the continuing inadequate male to female 

ratios at the airports. The current crisis was both foreseeable and preventable. 

2. Airline fees and distribution of the security fee.—Two fees affect the checkpoint: Airline fees for checked baggage and the diversion of .60 of every $5.60 

of the security fee collected to deficit reduction instead of screening. Many passengers seek to avoid the checked baggage fee charged by airlines, which is typically $25 for the first bag and $35 for the second with carry-on bags. TSOs reVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:32 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\114THCONGRESS\16TS0526\FINAL\HM147070.TXT HEATH
26 

port the number of bags passengers screen as carry-ons has increased with the 

fees. Although Congress increased the security fee in 2014, $1.25 billion each 

year is diverted to deficit reduction. Airline checked bag fees have changed the 

behavior of the flying public while much of the security fee needed to fund 

screening operations is currently beyond TSA’s grasp. 

3. The patchwork of airline, airport, and contract employees working around the 

checkpoint.—The use of airline and airport authority employees included in Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson’s plan and individual decisions by airport authorities to hire contract workers undermine the ability to 

realize a permanent solution for current staffing shortages. The safety of the 

public required Federalization of screening duties following the terrible events 

of September 11, 2001. Airports in the Screening Partnership Program (SPP) 

are also experiencing long lines and frustrated passengers. Private security 

companies are required to follow the same procedures and SAM as airports with 

Federal TSOs. Airports in the Screening Partnership Program have serious 

problems. TSA ended the contracts at 4 Montana airports because the screening 

companies were unable to meet the agency’s requirements for security. Multiple 

security breaches occurred after Orlando Sanford Airport privatized screening. 

There is a decline in workforce experience when airports privatize security 

screening. TSOs want to serve the public as Government employees; they do not 

want their security mission compromised by the for-profit incentives of private 

contractors. AFGE also questions the provision in Secretary Johnson’s 10-point 

plan that depends on airline and airport authority employees to ‘‘pitch-in’’ on 

‘‘non-screening’’ duties. We are concerned about the definition of ‘‘non-screener 

duties,’’ the rigor of background checks and training received by these employees, and the presence of individuals who are not TSA employees or passengers 

in the checkpoint area. 

4. Despite the importance of their work, TSOs receive second-class treatment 

from their employer, the Federal Government.—As the economy improves and 

working conditions at TSA worsen, increasingly TSOs are voting with their feet 

and leaving TSA. Many former TSOs now work for other Government agencies. 

TSOs do not have the same rights and protections as other Federal workers, 

including those employed by other DHS agencies, because the agency is able to 

ignore the law. TSA has excused itself from complying with the Federal Labor 

Standards Act and the Office of Personnel Management guidelines and rules 

governing leave, including the Family Medical Leave Act. TSOs do not have 

statutory Title VII protections against discrimination, and are not paid under 

the General Schedule. Starting wages for a TSO are about $15 per hour, even 

as we are reminded by recent world events that terrorists remain focused on 

attacking commercial aviation world-wide. 

The duties of a TSO require adherence to a number of different screening procedures that must be performed quickly, with no room for error, unpredictable hours 

due to staffing shortages, and do so while treating passengers with friendly respect. 

AFGE is particularly concerned that staffing shortages have placed an unnecessary 

burden on female TSOs. Although over one-half of all passengers are female, women 

comprise less than 40% of the TSO workforce. The disparity in numbers has resulted in female TSOs being denied the ability to bid for shift or positions due to 

a shortage of women at the checkpoint. All TSOs bear the burden of disciplinary 

review procedures created by TSA with no ability to appeal adverse personnel actions to a neutral third party like the Merit Systems Protection Board or a negotiated grievance procedure. The denial of fundamental workplace rights has nothing 

to do with security and does not make the country safer. 

From the perspective of TSOs, their job is to screen passengers and bags effectively and efficiently. Their first priority is to keep the flying public safe, and to do 

so as proficiently as possible. Here are their ideas: 

1. Return the workforce to 2011 levels. The continued practice of starving TSA 

screening operations of necessary funding must stop immediately. As enacted, 

the proceeds of the Passenger, or the September 11 Security Fee, only captured 

36% of TSA’s costs to provide aviation security. In 2014, fee increases were partially diverted to address the deficit and are deposited in the general fund of 

the Treasury. Despite rising passenger volume, Congress only increased the 

TSA budget by less than 1 percent between fiscal year 2015 and fiscal year 

2016. Even with knowledge of the gaps between passenger growth and staffing, 

the fiscal year 2017 budget request for TSA asked to fund a staffing request 

for an additional paltry 323 positions. Congress should pass emergency legislation to ensure funding to fully staff TSA checkpoints. TSA should face no obstacle in applying fee proceeds to TSO staffing as necessary. Congress must finally 

end the arbitrary and severe cap on full-time TSOs. Like other agencies in the 

27 

Department of Homeland Security, TSA should be able to hire the number of 

full-time TSOs required to fulfill its mission. 

2. Dedicate the proceeds of the Security Fee to TSA.—Perhaps the most obvious 

solution to funding problems at TSA is to utilize the security fee for the reason 

it was intended: To finance the mission of the agency. 

3. Increase efforts to retain the current TSO workforce.—It is well within the authority of both Congress and TSA to address the issues set forth in this testimony. The TSO workforce is not a footnote to the agency’s goal of effectively 

and efficiently screening passengers. The work of TSA falls greatly on the shoulders of the TSO workforce. Their common-sense solutions address both current 

understaffing and prevent a future reoccurrence. We urge lawmakers to direct 

Administrator Neffenger to apply title 5 rights protections to the TSO workforce. AFGE strongly supports H.R. 4488, the Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act, introduced by Representatives Bennie Thompson and Nita 

Lowey. The bill requires TSA to follow the same workplace rules as the majority 

of agencies in the Federal Government. TSA consistently receives the lowest 

rating from its employees when surveyed, including the current Best Places to 

Work in the Federal Government survey, where TSA ranked 313th out of 320 

agencies. AFGE believes TSA’s low ratings are attributable to TSA’s unique 

ability to choose which rights and protections apply to the workforce. 

In addition, TSA should provide TSOs who have been on the job 2 years or 

longer with an immediate 5% longevity pay increase to finally adjust their 

wages to match the 5% wage increase paid to employees of less than 2 years 

in 2015. Protections and rights under title 5 and fair compensation for their 

work will finally provide the TSO workforce with the respect and stability appropriate to their position in the framework of homeland security with the 

added benefit of supporting the retention of an experienced TSO workforce. 

4. Private-sector employees are a diversion from the permanent Federal staffing 

solution required at checkpoint.—AFGE does not support the provision of Secretary Johnson’s plan allowing airport and airline employees to be assigned duties around the checkpoint to ‘‘free-up’’ TSOs for screening duties. The Aviation 

and Transportation Security Act, Public Law 107–71 at Section 44901 states: 

‘‘The Under Secretary of Transportation for Security shall provide for the 

screening of all passengers and property, including United States mail, cargo, 

carry-on and checked baggage, and other articles, that will be carried aboard 

a passenger aircraft operated by an air carrier or foreign air carrier in air transportation or intrastate air transportation. In the case of flights and flight segments originating in the United States, the screening shall take place before 

boarding and shall be carried out by a Federal Government employee (as defined in section 2105 of title 5, United States Code), except as otherwise provided in section 44919 or 44920 and except for identifying passengers and baggage for screening under the CAPPS and known shipper programs and conducting positive bag-match programs.’’ 

Airline and airport employees have no experience performing these duties and 

have not received the hours of training TSOs are required to complete. It is not 

clear that these employees were vetted by their employer to the same extent 

as the TSO workforce. Instead of diverting resources by inserting employees 

who do not work for TSA into the framework of aviation security, AFGE calls 

on Congress to provide the funding to fully staff airport checkpoints. 

Transportation Security Officers do all they can to detect any person or anything 

moving through checkpoints that might cause harm to passengers. It should not be 

so hard for them to simply do their jobs. AFGE pledges to work with TSA, Congress, 

and the public on solutions that address the agency’s problems in a manner that 

improves passenger experiences and the ability of TSOs to carry out their duties. 

Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you at this hearing, and I look forward to responding to any questions you might have regarding my testimony. 

Mr. KATKO. Thank you, Mr. Cox, for your testimony. We appreciate you being here today. 

Before I recognize myself for 5 minutes of questions, I do want 

to note that it is very interesting that the part-time employee attrition rate is nearly triple that of full-time employees at TSA. That 

is something I want to talk to you about in a few moments’ time. 

I now recognize myself for 5 minutes of questions. 

28 

One of the overarching observations from speaking to you last 

week all at the panel, two things: Expansion of TSA is critically important, and also it was a revelation to all of us that field service 

directors really have their hands tied to some extent with respect 

to making staff and allocation decisions and oftentimes are not 

interacting in an appropriate manner with the airports and airlines 

in the field. 

So our bill addresses all of those things. But I do want to flesh 

them out a little bit. I will start with the TSA PreCheck program. 

Ms. Callahan, you stated that 40 percent now of the Syracuse 

Airport is on PreCheck. 

Ms. CALLAHAN. That is correct. 

Mr. KATKO. What type of an impact has that had on the airport 

and the throughput of passengers? 

Ms. CALLAHAN. We are seeing wait times on average of anywhere 

between 12 and 15 minutes. When I flew out this morning, I had 

a first experience at seeing that, and it really has helped to balance 

the distribution of PreCheck and non-PreCheck employees during 

those peak periods, which for us is really 4:30 until about 7 a.m. 

Mr. KATKO. Right. 

Now, for any of you who can answer this question. There are discussions at times that PreCheck isn’t always open, and I have experienced that myself and it is frustrating to me, being Chairman 

of this subcommittee. But is it fair to say that if PreCheck were 

expanded dramatically, like it is intended to be, that it would allow 

those lanes to be open on a more regular basis because the staffing 

would warrant it? Is that correct? Anyone want to answer that? 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. No, I think that the point is good that especially when customers enroll in PreCheck. The enrollment rates 

tend to be higher the more frequently the customers travel, and 

they build that expectation of having PreCheck available into their 

schedules in terms of what flights they book and when their meetings end and the like. It is a service that the TSA is selling, that 

people are paying for. So people are incredibly frustrated, customers, when they come and find those lines closed. 

The screening procedures in PreCheck are much faster, so the 

transaction time per customer is lower. Therefore we can get many 

more customers through the checkpoint, both safely, securely, and 

efficiently, the more people are in PreCheck. So we are a big fan 

of expanding it as well. 

Mr. KATKO. Okay. Thank you. 

I take it all of you are. Is that right? Yes. You are all nodding 

your head. It seems self-evident. 

Mr. COX. Mr. Chairman, I think the one issue that we constantly 

find, PreCheck is helping, but as we have continued decrease in 

staffing, that continues to perpetuate the problem. No matter 

whether we have PreCheck or not, the real issue is that we have 

to have adequate staffing in TSA. 

Mr. KATKO. It is understood. But it is fair to say, is it not, Mr. 

Cox, that if you had 20 million people enrolled in PreCheck Nationwide, or 30 million people enrolled in PreCheck Nation-wide, and 

you have the throughput for PreCheck individuals are double the 

time it is for others, it would have less stress on the system? You 

have to acknowledge that. 

29 

Mr. COX. It would definitely have less stress on the system. But 

if we keep losing 5,000 every several years, that is going to have 

stress on the system. 

Mr. KATKO. That is something we need to address for sure. 

Now, with respect to the field service directors, it was really 

shocking to me that they weren’t interacting with some of the airports, especially the major airports, on a regular basis with respect 

to the staffing allocation models. 

So, Ms. Beairsto, could you comment on that for a moment, if you 

would, please? 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. Sure. We have a strong and favorable partnership 

with our local TSA. However, when it comes to staffing allocation 

model, we encourage TSA to provide greater transparency so we, 

airports and our airline partners, can better plan and schedule 

around staffing shortages and the like. 

Mr. KATKO. All right. I am sorry. I referred to them as field service directors, and my able staffer told me: Hey, dummy, it is Federal service directors—Federal security directors, excuse me. 

But one of the things we propose in the bill is that you take the 

FSDs, if will you, and basically mandate that they meet with the 

airport directors and airlines on a regular basis and that they discuss staffing allocation models and then certify to us that they are 

actually doing that. We are asking that to be done on both the local 

level and on the National level. We are hoping that is going to have 

an impact on it. 

Now, Ms. Callahan, I understand from speaking to you earlier 

last week that you do that now on a regular basis. Is that right? 

Ms. CALLAHAN. Yes, sir, we do. In fact, we had a meeting yesterday with our Federal security director and his assistants from Albany all the way to Buffalo, a meeting held in Syracuse. Forty of 

the airports in New York State were at that meeting where we had 

an in-depth, detailed briefing on their plans for the summer travel 

season, how we can work together and collaborate to address some 

of the issues. 

My FSD oversees 14 airports. So to see him on a monthly basis 

is really incredible, that he has the time to do that. But he is very 

responsive and reactive to issues. 

Mr. KATKO. That is good. One of the things we want to do in this 

bill is to untie their hands to some extent from an administrative 

standpoint, because I believe that they need to have more flexibility with respect to their decisionmaking authority on the front 

lines. 

If you get a call from American Airlines or from Chicago and 

they say, ‘‘Lookit, we are going to get crushed over the next 3 days, 

we just sold a bunch of tickets,’’ whatever, let’s work together, figure out how to do that. They have got to be able to have the flexibility to grant more overtime. They have got to have the flexibility 

to be able to bring more people in. 

So that is part of what we are contemplating in this bill, and it 

is based on our discussions with all of you. So I appreciate that. 

Now, Mr. Cox, one of the things I have been thinking about, 

when you were talking about some of the staffing issues and the 

attrition rate, is if there is some money that is reallocated, if that 

is the right term, from other parts of TSA to staffing, would it 

30 

* The information was not submitted at the time of publication. 

make sense to take a lot of these individuals that are part-time 

now and make them full-time and in so doing you thereby reduce 

the attrition rate considerably, for some of them at least? 

Mr. COX. Yes, sir, that would definitely help with that situation. 

Administrator Neffenger spoke with me yesterday and said his attrition rate with full-time TSOs was around 7 to 8 percent, but, 

again, it is over 20 percent in the part-time. 

People want full-time employment. They will go to other Federal 

jobs or other jobs in the airport seeking full-time employment. So 

moving that money to getting them full time would definitely help 

fix a lot of the problems. 

Mr. KATKO. Okay. Of course the added benefit during this crisis, 

if you will, that we are having at airports is that moving someone 

from part-time to full-time doesn’t take any additional training. 

Mr. COX. No, sir, that doesn’t. They are ready to go. Many of 

them in peak times are already working 40 hours a week or possibly more than 40 hours a week. So they are ready to go. There 

is a cap that has been put on the number of full-time employees. 

So if Congress could fix that, that would help with a lot of the situation. 

Mr. KATKO. All right. Thank you very much, Mr. Cox. 

I have so many more questions, but I can’t go over my time too 

much here. 

So I now recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Payne, for 5 minutes of questions. 

Mr. PAYNE. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I ask unanimous consent that 

2 letters from AFGE to President Obama and Secretary Johnson be 

inserted in the record. 

Mr. KATKO. Without objection, so ordered.* 

Mr. PAYNE. Thank you. 

Ms. Beairsto, in response to the issues at your airport and others 

around the Nation, Secretary Johnson and Administrator Neffenger 

announced plans to address the lines, including additional resources. Has the administration’s response to the wait times within 

your airports been effective and has it had a positive effect? To this 

point, I hear a lot that we have the additional resources coming in 

but have not heard how it has impacted your wait times in a positive manner, if it has. 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. Sure. It has. TSA has provided 58 additional officers. The shift of moving over 160 part-time officers to full times 

helped TSA address the peak periods both in the a.m. shifts and 

the p.m. shifts. Tripling the amount of overtime allows them to 

open checkpoints early so they are not behind the curve. Adding 

morning shifts for TSA screeners and the additional K–9 teams at 

O’Hare from around the country has proven incredibly helpful. The 

K–9 teams alone are allowing us to move roughly 5,000 passengers 

a day through PreCheck. 

Mr. PAYNE. Okay. So what would you say the wait times as opposed to what they were are now, specifically? 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. Sure. So at Midway Airport the wait times with 

K–9 teams can be 20 to 30 minutes during peak periods. Without 

31 

them, they can reach of 69 to 90 minutes. We are seeing a great 

impact on the K–9s. Thank you for asking. 

Mr. PAYNE. Yeah. I have Newark International in my district, 

and we really have had the same experiences you have been having 

in Chicago based on the hub that we are. Also with the Port Authority having 3 airports under its purview has been a major hangup with the wait times. We have had the resources moved in Newark as they have in Chicago and it has dramatically impacted the 

ability to move passengers in a timely manner. 

Ms. Allin, within your testimony you note that the BDOs could 

be useful in other positions within the screening model. Could you 

expound for the committee on your thoughts on achieving efficiencies through using the Behavior Detection Officers? 

Ms. ALLIN. Thank you, Representative Payne. 

Yes, sir, the Behavioral Detection Officers are trained in perceiving people who are going to do something that is not correct, 

or it may be illegal, may be trying to smuggle something, potentially terrorist ties. By having them as the ticket document checkers, they have a personal connection to every single passenger that 

goes through and they can screen each individual. As opposed to 

standing to the side or the back of the line where they are observing behavior, they can better detect people who may need additional screening or discussion. 

Mr. PAYNE. Okay. Thank you. 

Ms. ALLIN. This is a model that is used overseas that has been 

quite effective there. 

Mr. PAYNE. Okay. My time is winding down, but I just wanted 

to say to Mr. Cox, all throughout this discussion over the past several weeks that I have kept the TSOs in mind and have made sure 

that my colleagues have some idea of what they go through and the 

strain that they are under based on these long wait times as well. 

They are our last line of defense, and we need to make sure that 

they have the resources that they need in order to do the job well. 

We can’t afford them not to. They have to be right 100 percent of 

the time. 

So I just wanted to put that on the record. I yield back. 

Mr. KATKO. Thank you, Mr. Payne. 

The Chair will recognize other Members of the subcommittee, 

and then Ms. McSally, for 5 minutes of questions that they may 

wish to ask the witnesses. 

In accordance with our committee rules and practice, I plan to 

recognize Members who are present at the start of the hearing by 

seniority on the subcommittee and then others, such as Ms. 

McSally, who are visiting the committee this morning. Those coming in later will be recognized in order of their arrival. 

The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Carter, for 5 minutes of questions. 

Mr. Carter. 

Mr. CARTER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Thank all of you for being here. This is obviously a very important subject to us. I am glad to see you all because I have some 

important questions I want to ask you. 

I have the honor and privilege of representing the First Congressional District of Georgia. That includes the entire coast of Georgia. 

32 

Georgia is unique in the sense that we have a lot of small airports, 

a lot of rural areas. We also, as you know, have Hartsfield-Jackson 

Airport, which is the busiest airport in the country, in the world. 

That presents a dilemma. But I want to ask you some questions 

about that, and I am very interested to know your responses to 

this. 

What we have been hearing and what I have been hearing from 

a lot of the airport officials is that there exists somewhat of a disconnect between the local TSA officials, the airlines, the airport officials, and then upper management, that management in TSA up 

here in Washington, DC, if you will. Have any of you experienced 

that? Can you comment on that? Ms. Allin or whoever wants to 

comment. Just very quickly, because I have a bunch here. 

Ms. CALLAHAN. Yes, Mr. Carter. I think it is really each airport 

is different. There is a saying in our industry: You have seen one 

airport, you have seen one airport. So the relationships that exist 

are really local and dependent on the people within the organizations at those airports. I imagine in Atlanta it is much more difficult than in it is Syracuse, New York, where we have access to 

our FSDs and AFSDs and the airlines on a regular day-to-day 

basis. That is what I can offer. 

Mr. CARTER. Okay. 

Anyone else? 

Ms. ALLIN. Representative Carter, Tucson previously had an FSD 

until 2 years ago, then we became a spoke airport. We have an excellent relationship with our local screening managers and our 

local personnel. They now have many layers to go through. Models 

and requirements are dictated, and I can’t personally say from 

where, but certainly above their ability to be able to react quickly 

to issues on the ground. That is what we experienced during our 

peak period in February and March. They were only allowed to 

open the PreCheck lane after they had opened a second standard 

lane because of staffing. Then they could open a PreCheck lane. 

When they opened the PreCheck lane the lines were cut in half 

and they were not the full length of our terminal front. So having 

the ability to do that would be helpful. 

Mr. CARTER. Okay. Great. 

Let me ask you, has anyone had any experience with private security? Any of you who have had that experience? 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. In a few airports that we serve have private 

security. 

Mr. CARTER. I am sorry. Say again? 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. Sorry. Oh, thank you. 

A few of the airports that American serves have private security. 

Mr. CARTER. Can you give me your impression? I mean, what 

have been the results? 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. I will just use San Francisco as an example, 

because that is probably the one I am most familiar with. Because 

the privatized airports, the way the privatized model is today, follows the same procedures and staffing allocation models as other 

airports. 

Mr. CARTER. Okay, I hope that my colleagues heard that. They 

have to follow the same rules and regulations. 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. Right. 

33 

Mr. CARTER. The training is the same. Everything is the same. 

TSA oversees it, correct, oversees it? 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. Correct. That is my understanding. 

Mr. CARTER. All right. I am sorry. Continue. 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. So we really see that as long as the operation 

is properly resourced we are able to have both effective and efficient screening in either model. Really the key is making sure that 

the resource allocation meets the peak needs of the operation. 

Mr. CARTER. Okay. 

The Screening Partnership Program. Mr. Cox, I am going to ask 

you directly, can you give me an idea of why, it appears to me and 

from what I have heard, that they do a better job and that they 

save money on top of that? You had any experience with this? 

Mr. COX. Sir, we believe that the TSOs that are employed by the 

Federal Government, No. 1, it is a professionalized workforce, they 

do a great job, they have been trained to do that. I think the record 

speaks very clearly for themselves. Since 9/11, we have not had 

acts of terrorism in this country. We had a privatized workforce on 

9/11 and we saw what happened, this country was brought to its 

knees. The Government has been taking care of that, been doing 

that. Part of our real problem right now is a lack of staffing, not 

enough staff to do the work properly. 

Mr. CARTER. I understand and I appreciate what you are saying, 

but at the same time, I am convinced that the private industry can 

do this just as well with oversight with TSA and save money and 

improve customer service and decrease the long lines that we are 

experiencing at our airports. They go through the same training. 

The TSA still has the oversight, the responsibility. 

I think it is unfair to compare what happened on 9/11 between 

privatization and being run by the public. I mean, that took us all. 

We were all asleep at the wheel then, you have to admit that. 

Mr. COX. I agree. I was watching Fox News last Sunday and one 

of the commentators was at the San Francisco Airport, was complaining about the long lines, the rudeness of the officers, and the 

various incidents that were going on and said, this is a classic example of why it needs to be privatized. I busted out laughing because it is a privatized airport and all the problems that she was 

referring to were at a privatized airport. She wasn’t in Atlanta or 

Miami, one of those that was not privatized, she was in San Francisco complaining, saying it was a classic example of why it should 

be privatized. 

Mr. CARTER. Well, what I would like to see are some comparisons. I mean, this is something that is very important and if we 

can improve it—because you mentioned the disconnect—or I 

brought up the disconnect and you commented on the disconnect 

between Washington and the local officials. This is something that 

we have got to work on. This is what happens when the bureaucracy gets out of control. That is I think we are headed with and 

we are at right now with the TSA, is the bureaucracy out of control. We need to get it under control. 

Mr. Chairman, I know I have gone past my time, but this is just 

a very important subject to me. 

So I appreciate your input on that. 

34 

Mr. Cox, what you are telling me, I am having different views 

expressed to me by other people, so I am going to continue to 

search on this and continue to try to see what we can come up 

with. 

Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Thank you. 

Mr. KATKO. Thank you, Mr. Carter. 

I ask unanimous consent that the gentlelady from Texas, Ms. 

Jackson Lee, be allowed to sit on the dais and participate in this 

hearing. 

Without objection, so ordered. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Let me express my appreciation to the Chairman and the Ranking Member for your courtesies. This is a committee that I have a great affection for because I indicated before 

that the TSOs are the first line of defense, if you will, for the 

neighborhood, for the Nation’s aviation security. So let me thank 

all of you for your presence here. 

I have some direct questions and then I want to raise a series 

of questions with Mr. Cox. Thank you very much for representing 

very fine professional staff, which I want to be more professional, 

less part-time, more recruitment, increased salaries, and the numbers that you would like to have. 

So I would ask the representative from Chicago, Illinois, the admiral was here just yesterday, and I understand that the wait has 

gone to 15 minutes. I would like to see what—you are obviously 

here today, Thursday—I would like to hear your assessment. Have 

the lines improved, the time and the waits improved? 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. Oh, considerably, ma’am. We have seen wait 

times less than 15 minutes. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. So there has been a fix, if you will, and obviously we have to see that it is a consistent fix. 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. A permanent fix. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. That is even better, to hear that it is a permanent fix. He has added more, as I understand, there is a task force 

and he has added more employees. Is that correct? 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. May I correct? It is temporary right now. We need 

a permanent fix. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. So you were saying we need a permanent fix? 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. Right. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Well, that will come. The temporary is that 

you added more personnel. Is that correct? 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. Yes, the extended overtime allowed for increased 

shifts in peak periods. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Are you aware that we expect about 700 to 

be in by July, and so you would probably get some additional 

TSOs? 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. I am aware. Thank you. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. That would probably help their circumstances. 

Is there a problem with the baggage check down—there is a 

screening and then there is a baggage check. Is there a problem on 

the baggage check area as well? 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. It has not surfaced at our level. We can certainly 

find out additional information and follow up. 

35 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Thank you. But the problem has been at least 

relieved for a moment and we expect to continue to work with you 

for that. 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. Midway Airport is still waiting for additional resources. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Additional resources. 

Would you say that your TSOs are professional, your management level? 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. Yes, absolutely. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. They were attempting to correct the problem? 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. Yes, absolutely. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. All right. Thank you. 

I see that there are other airports. There is an airline representative here, I think, from American Airlines. Have you been able to 

work by way of getting your concerns to TSA, should we facilitate 

a better communication protocol when there are concerns? 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. You know, we have been working very collaboratively and effectively with the TSA, both at the headquarters 

level with Admiral Neffenger, as well as at the local level. So the 

airlines are taking action in collaboration with the TSA and also 

promoting many of the actions that the TSA is suggesting and already taking and also the actions that are contained in Chairman 

Katko’s proposed legislation, which we are in favor of as well. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Which means that you would be willing to pay 

for overtime for TSOs? 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. You know, right now we really want to get 

more transparency into the staffing model and understand how resources are being deployed. We need to make sure that we have an 

analytical model that puts resources where they need to be to meet 

the peak demands of our customers. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. I agree with you. More flexibility for the 

FSDs, would that be helpful? 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. In cooperation with their airline partners, yes. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Would you join with us, because I heard the 

point being made that we need nor data regarding the baggage 

fees? So I think there should be an assessment and a study coming 

from both ends, the airlines and TSA, on the baggage fees as to 

whether or not they do increase the number of bags coming 

through by hand-carry. Would you work with us on that? 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. May I comment on the checked baggage in 

general? 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Uh-huh. 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. The airlines have been charging checked baggage fees since 2008, and the line waits we are experiencing with 

TSA this year are unprecedented. So I think it would be inaccurate 

to say that bag fees are leading to the current line waits that we 

are experiencing. 

You mentioned the baggage—— 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Can I interject for a moment? We note that 

we have had a sizable increase in passenger travel between 2008— 

already between 2011 and 2016. My only question is, we all have 

our different perspectives. I am not offering any perspective. I am 

just offering, would you participate and collaborate on getting the 

data that we need to understand the question better? 

36 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH. We are interested in collaborating to solve the 

problem. 

I do want to note that baggage screening, as you noted, is also 

a core function of TSA. Even though we had heard from my colleague from Chicago that we haven’t had severe issues there, some 

of our other airports have experienced significant backlogs, in some 

cases even worse than what we are experiencing at the checkpoints—— 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. What we want to do is fix the problem. 

Ms. PHILIPOVITCH [continuing]. Like in Miami and Los Angeles. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Right. We want to fix the problem. I know 

that you have hubs like Miami. So we want to fix the problem. 

Let me quickly move to Mr. Cox, if I might. 

Mr. Cox, I have traveled to many of your airports. I take the opportunity to speak to TSOs everywhere I go, including supervisors 

and managers. I will say that I ran into one individual, his name 

is Vincent, who is a World War II veteran, came, and was in a 

wheelchair, was dropped off by his family, he was traveling by himself. He said, ‘‘I don’t want anybody else. I want a TSO, TSO, 

TSO.’’ That means to come out to the curb. 

So a TSO went out to the curb and took him with the wheelchair 

all the way through security, et cetera, et cetera, getting to the 

gate, getting down to the door of the plane. He noted that this 

proud World War II veteran who had been dropped off by his family members, I am sure they meant well, he could not walk. Your 

TSO agent lifted him up and took him and took him and put him 

on the plane. 

I think these are the stories that need to be told. If the Chairman would yield me just a moment here. 

Mr. KATKO. Ms. Jackson Lee, just to let you know, we are kindof crunched for time and Ms. McSally needs to go too. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. May just get this last question in? 

Mr. KATKO. Votes are coming up, so please hurry. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Yes, thank you. 

I support a professional staff, not privatization. Would you respond to that quickly, please? 

Mr. COX. We clearly believe that a professional staff that are 

Government employees, that this is an inherently Governmental 

function to keep the American public safe. These people are welltrained, they do a great job, they love their jobs, they just need to 

have adequate staffing to be able to do their jobs and to do them 

properly. 

I think if the committee really wants to get legislation that tries 

to get the input and the collaboration, that it would be important 

that AFGE and the employees that it represents be included in the 

legislation as one of the partners trying to resolve the problem. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Thank you. 

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you so very much. 

More funding is important. 

I yield back, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking Member. Thank you. 

Mr. KATKO. Thank you, Ms. Jackson Lee. 

The Chair now recognizes the patient Ms. McSally from Arizona. 

Ms. McSally. 

Ms. MCSALLY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

37 

In the roundtable last week and in your testimony today we 

heard one of the main issues is flexibility for the FSDs, that they 

can make decisions on the ground, but not just for the FSDs, for 

the supervisors in spoke airports like Tucson. 

Admiral Neffenger was asked this question yesterday, and he 

said he has given the flexibility to FSDs. I felt like I was listening 

to parallel universes that were in complete contradiction of each 

other. He believed that they already have that flexibility. It is unbelievable to me that it would take an act of Congress to actually 

direct them to provide flexibility. This is just leadership 101. 

But he sincerely believes he has given that authority. I specifically asked him yesterday about this and the spoke airports like 

Tucson, and he said they have all the authority they need. Maybe 

they are not just getting the message. He just recently removed 

Kelly Hoggan, who potentially is the barrier to this direction being 

communicated down to all of you. 

But I want to say, we need your immediate feedback. He gave 

his promise yesterday that he was going to follow up on this and 

made sure they understood his guidance that they had that flexibility. 

Ms. Allin, can you share? You have given some examples. If we 

had the flexibility with our senior TSA rep on the ground in the 

last few months, what other instances? Were their hands tied? 

What would have changed? What have you been able to do there 

in order to alleviate the problems that we are having? 

Ms. ALLIN. Thank you, Representative McSally. 

When we were experiencing the extreme lines, the challenge that 

our local representative with TSA had, which is not an FSD, as we 

are a spoke, as you noted, was the fact that there are specific models. A certain throughput of passengers per hour have to go 

through the lane before the second lane can be opened up, and that 

with one standard lane, then a second standard lane had to be 

opened before PreCheck, where PreCheck is the quick resolution 

because the lane was cut in half when the PreCheck lane was 

opened. 

Ms. MCSALLY. That direction you think came from the District 

of Columbia or Phoenix? Do you know? 

Ms. ALLIN. Phoenix came down when the passengers were calling 

the media from the lines and the media began showing up. It all 

exploded during the week and that is when things changed. 

Ms. MCSALLY. Right. Is that still the case? Do they have to do 

the second line before PreCheck? 

Ms. ALLIN. With staffing, yes, ma’am. They are limited on staffing and therefore can’t open the PreCheck, because it requires 

more people—and I am sorry, I can’t tell you exactly how many 

more—than the standard lane. 

Ms. MCSALLY. Okay. Great. Are there any other situations where 

you saw their hands were tied, that they could have maybe moved, 

say, BDOs to be checking IDs or something else had they been 

given more flexibility locally? 

Ms. ALLIN. Yes, ma’am. We have been asking for BDOs to be document checkers since the problems first started with the holidays 

prior to our season coming. Our FSD in Phoenix refused, saying 

that it was important for them to be observing the line, the people 

38 

in line, as opposed to being able to be document checkers. I think 

all that is changed by the admiral and we appreciate that greatly. 

Ms. MCSALLY. Okay. Great. Thanks. 

Ms. Beairsto, you said you appreciated the assistance. There was 

big media attention to the problems at Chicago and then additional 

agents and K–9 teams came to the rescue. However, they were 

pulled from somewhere else. 

What we heard from the roundtable last week is the feeling that 

this sort of squeaky wheel, let’s move assets around to whoever is 

on TV today, allows, I think one of the airport managers said, 

something along the lines of we all get a turn to be the worst, is 

that kind of model, which means that you are just going to create 

a crisis somewhere else. 

So I am concerned about that, that this is more like a whack-amole scenario as opposed to a strategic model that is going to address all these issues and we are not going to be robbing from medium and small airports in order to address the bigger airports 

that end up on TV. 

Can anyone sort-of provide some perspectives on that and concerns that we shouldn’t be reactive, we should be much more strategic on this? 

Ms. BEAIRSTO. If I can give an example, ma’am. The passenger 

screening K–9s, for example, which we borrow and have been reallocated from other airports, those kinds of resources really need 

to be allocated based on airport passenger throughput and the security risk, right? So those are the kinds of things that TSA should 

consider. 

Ms. MCSALLY. Great. Thank you. 

Mr. Cox, yesterday I asked Admiral Neffenger about something 

that was really troubling that I discovered this week, which is we 

have instances of at least 250 through April that have been reported where TSA agents have been pulled away from their primary mission, which is the security of air travel and the efficiency 

and safety of passengers and air travel, to support things like Presidential campaign rallies. We have heard reports of other events, 

concerts, and sporting events. This is nowhere in their core competency. 

So could you please comment on your perspectives on whether, 

when somebody signs up to be a TSA agent and a TSO, whether 

they expected to be at a campaign rally or whether they expected 

to be doing their core mission and how you all feel about that? 

Mr. COX. We expected them to do their core mission, to do their 

core work. As with any situation, you do understand the workers 

don’t get to drive the train, they just show up and do what the 

bossman tells them to do. 

I know our TSOs, they want to be at the airport doing their mission and taking care of it. It upsets them when those lines are long 

and passengers are waiting because passengers get more frustrated 

with them. 

I would say, if you really want to resolve a lot of these problems, 

you can talk to FSDs, you can talk to the administrator, but Congress probably needs to mandate that there be some work groups 

made up of TSOs themselves. The people who actually do the work 

39 

can tell you how to improve the processes. I know American Airlines does that all the time. I know all these airports do that. 

We need to be talking to the front-line employees and they could 

give a lot of solutions. They can’t necessarily give more resources 

or more people, but I am sure they know how to improve the work 

processes. 

Ms. MCSALLY. Great. Thank you. I agree with you. Look, we 

need to make sure that large-scale events have safety and security, 

but there are other ways to do that than to be pulling agents, that 

its core responsibility is the safety of air travel, in order to do that. 

So I will be following up on that. 

I appreciate the leverage, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. KATKO. Thank you, Ms. McSally. 

I would like to thank the witnesses for their thoughtful testimony. Members of the committee may have some additional questions for all of you, and we will be asking you to respond to those 

in writing. Pursuant to committee Rule VII(E), the hearing record 

will be held open for 10 days. 

Before we close, a couple of observations. First of all, if we had 

more time we could go on on this all day long. But what is the 

beauty of this hearing was that we had the input of all of the 

stakeholders at the table and those sitting in the audience last 

week, which helped us become very prepared for this testimony. 

I think a lot of times people look at Congress and say, Congress 

is broken, nothing gets done, they are not listening to us. I think 

what has transpired over last week is that we looked at a crisis, 

we got the stakeholders in here, we listened to you, we crafted a 

bill responding to what you have to say, and it is going to have immediate an impact if we can get it passed. I am excited about that. 

The frustration is that we are moving these things and we are 

getting this stuff done. So I ask all of you to be advocates with the 

Senate to tell the Senate to do their job as well, because we don’t 

want to hear any more of these wait time issues. 

When we can act like this in a collaborative manner, that is 

when Congress really works. We have to make sure that process 

comes to a positive conclusion. 

So thank you all for coming here. I know it is an early flight for 

some of you. If it is any consolation, we were working until about 

12:30 last night and I was up at 5 this morning. So we have all 

had busy days. 

So thank you all very much. 

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. KATKO. Sure. 

Mr. PAYNE. Just an observation before we close. 

Ms. McSally, you should have not left Homeland. I see you more 

now. 

Ms. MCSALLY. I am on Homeland. I just gave up the Chair of the 

other subcommittee to move over to another subcommittee. 

Mr. PAYNE. Well, we miss you there. 

Ms. MCSALLY. I am here, baby. 

Mr. PAYNE. All right. 

40 

Mr. KATKO. The committee stands adjourned. Thank you all so 

very much. 

[Whereupon, at 10:28 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.] 

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