AVIATION SECURITY

TSA Uses Data to Monitor 

Airport Operations and 

Respond to Increases in 

Passenger Wait Times and 

Throughput

Statement of William Russell, Acting Director, 

Homeland Security and Justice

Testimony 

Before the Subcommittee on 

Transportation and Protective Security, 

Committee on Homeland Security, 

House of Representatives

For Release on Delivery 

Expected at 10:00 a.m. ET

Thursday, May 17, 2018

GAO-18-563T

United States Government Accountability Office
Letter

Page 1 GAO-18-563T Aviation Security

Chairman Katko, Ranking Member Watson Coleman, and Members of 

the Subcommittee:

I am pleased to be here today to discuss the Transportation Security 

Administration’s (TSA) efforts to monitor passenger wait times and the 

number of passengers that are screened at each airport checkpoint, 

known as throughput, at airports throughout the United States. As you 

know, the Department of Homeland Security’s TSA is responsible for 

protecting the nation’s transportation systems while also ensuring the free 

movement of people and commerce. TSA employs about 43,000 

Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) who screen over 2 million 

passengers and their accessible and checked baggage each day at 

nearly 440 airports across the United States.1 In the spring of 2016, 

unusually long screening checkpoint lines at certain major U.S. airports 

raised questions about TSA’s process for allocating TSOs to airports and 

managing passenger wait times.

My testimony today addresses (1) how TSA collects and monitors 

passenger wait time and throughput data and (2) tools TSA uses to 

respond to increases in passenger wait times. This statement is based on 

selected findings from our February 2018 report on staffing allocation and 

managing wait times.2 To perform the work from our previous report, we 

analyzed TSA documentation, reports, and data on wait times and 

passenger throughput from January 2015 through May 2017 for 28 

airports that, according to TSA headquarters officials, represent the 

majority of passenger throughput nationwide or are operationally 

significant. We also interviewed headquarters officials responsible for 

overseeing TSA’s collection and use of wait time and throughput data as 

well as Federal Security Directors (FSD) and their designees at eight 

selected airports to determine the tools they use to respond to increases 

 1

TSOs are screening personnel employed by TSA. In this testimony, references to TSOs 

do not include screening personnel employed by qualified private-sector companies under 

contract with TSA to perform screening operations at the 21 airports participating in TSA’s 

Screening Partnership Program (SPP). See 49 U.S.C. § 44920. TSA oversees the 

performance of screening operations at SPP airports, and the screening personnel at SPP 

airports must adhere to the same screening requirements applicable to TSOs.

2

GAO, Aviation Security: TSA Uses Current Assumptions and Airport-Specific Data for Its 

Staffing Process and Monitors Passenger Wait Times Using Daily Operations Data, 

GAO-18-236 (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 1, 2018). 

Letter
Page 2 GAO-18-563T Aviation Security

in passenger wait times and throughput. 3 Further detail on the scope and 

methodology for the previously issued report is available within the 

published product. The work upon which this testimony is based was 

conducted in accordance with generally accepted government auditing 

standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to 

obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for

our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe 

that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings 

and conclusions based on our audit objectives.

TSA allocates TSOs to airports using its Resource Allocation Plan, which 

is intended to provide each airport with the optimum number of TSOs 

needed to screen passengers for threats to aviation security, such as 

prohibited and other potentially dangerous items.4 To implement 

passenger screening and pursue efficient operations, in addition to relying 

on TSOs, TSA works with officials from airlines and airports, as well as 

officials from associations that represent airlines and airports. At airports, 

FSDs and their designees work with individual airport operators and 

airlines to, among other things, adjust TSA resources (i.e., TSOs and 

screening assets such as metal detectors) in response to increases in 

passenger throughput at each checkpoint, and monitor passenger wait 

times at checkpoints.

At TSA headquarters, the Office of Security Operations (OSO) has 

primary responsibility for operation of the Resource Allocation Plan and 

allocation of TSOs across airports. To allocate staff to the nearly 440 

 3

FSDs are TSA officials responsible for overseeing TSA security activities, including 

passenger and checked baggage screening, at one or more commercial airports. See 49 

U.S.C. § 44933. Some FSDs oversee more than one airport within a geographic area; 

thus, not all FSDs are located at the airports they oversee. Airport operators have direct 

responsibility for implementing security requirements in accordance with their TSAapproved airport security programs. Airport security programs generally cover the day-today aviation operations and implement security requirements for which airports are 

responsible. See generally 49 C.F.R. pt. 1542.

4

According to TSA headquarters officials, TSA identifies the number of TSOs for the 

Resource Allocation Plan based on the number of positions authorized by the agency’s 

budget, which serves as a constraint on the number of TSOs that can be staffed to 

airports.

Background

TSA Processes for 

Allocating TSOs across 

Airports
Page 3 GAO-18-563T Aviation Security

TSA-regulated airports in the United States, OSO is to use a combination 

of computer-based modeling and line-item adjustments based on airportspecific information.5 First, the agency is to work with a contractor to 

evaluate the assumptions—such as rates of expedited screening6

—used 

by the computer-based staffing allocation model to determine the optimal 

number of TSOs at each airport based on airport size and configuration, 

flight schedules, and the time it takes to perform checkpoint and baggage 

screening tasks.7 Second, after the model has determined how many 

TSOs are required for each airport, headquarters-level staff are to make 

line item adjustments to account for factors such as differences in staff 

availability and training needs that affect each airport.

In 2007, we reviewed the Resource Allocation Plan (referred to as the 

Staffing Allocation Model at that time) and recommended, among other 

things, that TSA establish a mechanism to ensure periodic assessment of 

the assumptions, such as passenger and checked baggage screening 

rates, underlying the plan. TSA agreed with the recommendation, and in 

December 2007 developed and implemented a plan to periodically 

assess the plan’s assumptions.8

 5

According to TSA headquarters officials, the agency uses the Resource Allocation Plan 

to determine how many staff hours are required to adequately staff baggage and 

passenger screening operations at the 21 SPP airports in the United States operated by 

private sector companies. TSA allocates staff hours to SPP airports based on what TSA 

anticipates the cost would be to maintain a staff of TSOs at those airports. The private 

companies that operate the SPP airports control the hiring, scheduling and allocation of 

staff at these airports, although they are required to follow the same TSA standard 

operating procedures applicable to TSOs and other TSA employees.

6

Expedited screening is a process that TSA uses to assess a passenger’s risk to aviation 

security prior to the passenger arriving at an airport checkpoint.

7

TSA’s computer-based staffing model is a proprietary software application that uses 

simulations to determine each airport’s work requirement based on the airport’s unique 

operating characteristics, such as layout, equipment, and flight data. The software 

simulates passenger and baggage screening operations to produce required staffing 

levels.

8

GAO, Aviation Security, TSA’s Staffing Allocation Model Is Useful for Allocating Staff 

among Airports, but Its Assumptions Should Be Systematically Reassessed, GAO-07-299 

(Washington, DC: Feb. 28, 2007).
Page 4 GAO-18-563T Aviation Security

At each airport, TSA is to collect throughput data on the number of 

passengers screened under both expedited and standard screening and 

monitor passenger wait times at screening checkpoints. TSA airport 

officials are to submit passenger throughput and wait time data on a daily 

basis to OSO’s Performance Management Division at TSA headquarters, 

which compiles the data through the Performance Measurement 

Information System, TSA’s web-based data collection system. TSA 

required FSDs and their designees to collect actual wait times from 2002 

through 2007 and beginning again in July 2014. From 2008 through June 

2014, TSA required that FSDs collect data on wait time ranges, such as 

between 20 to 29 minutes or greater than 30 minutes.

In February 2018, we reported that TSA headquarters officials have taken 

steps intended to improve information sharing with stakeholders—officials 

from airlines and airports, as well as officials from associations that 

represent airlines and airports—about staffing and related screening 

procedures at airports. For example, we reported that TSA holds daily 

conference calls with stakeholders at selected airports intended to ensure 

timely communication and to help identify and address challenges in 

airport operations such as increases in passenger wait times. 

Additionally, we reported that TSA conducted a series of presentations 

and meetings to discuss the Resource Allocation Plan, security 

enhancements at airports, and airport screening processes, among other 

things.

TSA Processes for 

Collecting Wait Time and 

Throughput Data at 

Airports

TSA Information Sharing 

Efforts with Stakeholders
Page 5 GAO-18-563T Aviation Security

In February 2018, we reported that TSA collects passenger wait time and 

throughput data and uses those data to monitor daily operations at 

airports. TSA’s Operations Directive (directive), Reporting Customer 

Throughput and Wait Times, provides instructions for collecting and 

reporting wait time and passenger throughput data for TSA screening 

lanes.9 Regarding wait time data, according to the directive, FSDs or their 

designees at all Category X, I, and II airports10 must measure wait times 

every operational hour in all TSA expedited and standard screening 

lanes. The directive requires wait times to be measured in actual time, 

using a verifiable system such as wait time cards, closed circuit television 

monitoring, or another confirmable method. The directive indicates that 

wait times should be measured from the end of the line in which 

passengers are waiting to the walk through metal detector or advanced 

imaging technology units. 

According to TSA officials at that time, at the beginning of each hour, wait 

time cards are handed to passengers at the end of the checkpoint line 

and are collected when a passenger reaches the metal detector or 

imaging unit. Closed circuit television is monitored from a location other 

than the checkpoint, such as at the airport’s coordination center. 

According to TSA headquarters officials, TSA does not require FSDs or 

their designees to collect wait times from a statistical sample of 

passengers throughout the hour, but rather requires that one wait time is 

collected for every operational hour in all screening lanes. If more than 

one wait time is collected during the hour, the directive indicates that the 

maximum wait time should be reported. TSA officials at airports we visited

for our February 2018 report stated that TSOs return completed wait time 

cards to supervisors, who then enter the information into a shared 

spreadsheet and eventually into the Performance Measurement 

Information System. Each hour’s reported wait time is then applied to all 

of a lane’s throughput for that given hour. FSDs or their designees at 

Category III and IV airports may estimate wait times initially, but the 

 9

TSA, Operations Directive, OD-400-50-1-5F: Reporting Customer Throughput and Wait 

Times (December 1, 2016). The wait time and throughput reporting requirements also 

apply to the 21 airports participating in TSA’s SPP.

10TSA classifies airports into one of five security risk categories (X, I, II, III, IV) based on 

various factors, such as the total number of takeoffs and landings annually, and other 

special security considerations. In general, category X airports have the largest number of 

passenger boardings and category IV airports have the smallest.

TSA Uses Passenger 

Wait Time and 

Throughput Data to 

Monitor Airport 

Operations on a Daily 

Basis
Page 6 GAO-18-563T Aviation Security

directive requires them to measure actual wait times when wait times are 

estimated at 10 minutes or greater.

The directive also requires FSDs or their designees to collect passenger 

throughput data directly from the walkthrough metal detectors and 

advanced imaging technology units. According to TSA headquarters 

officials, the machines have sensors that collect the number of 

passengers who pass through each hour, and TSOs retrieve the data 

directly from the units. All airports regardless of category are required to 

enter their wait time and throughput data daily into the information system 

no later than 3:30 AM Eastern Time of the next calendar day so that the 

data can be included in the morning’s Daily Leadership Report (discussed 

in more detail below).

To monitor operations for all airports, TSA compiles a daily report utilizing 

a variety of data points from the information system, including wait time 

and throughput data.11 The Office of Security Operations’ Performance 

Management Division disseminates the Daily Leadership Report to TSA 

officials, including regional directors and FSDs and their designees every 

morning detailing the previous day’s wait times and throughput figures, 

among other data points. The Performance Management Division 

includes a quality assurance addendum with each Daily Leadership 

Report, indicating missing or incorrect data, to include wait time and 

throughput data, and TSA has procedures in place intended to ensure 

officials at the airports correct the data in the Performance Measurement 

Information System within 2 weeks.

In addition to the Daily Leadership Report, we reported that TSA utilizes 

wait time and throughput data to monitor airport operations at 28 airports 

in near real time. In May 2016, TSA established the Airport Operations 

Center partly in response to the long screening checkpoint lines in the 

spring of 2016 at certain airports. The center conducts near real time 

monitoring of the operations of 28 airports that, according to TSA 

headquarters officials, represent the majority of passenger throughput

nationwide or are operationally significant.12 TSA requires the 28 airports 

 11As mentioned above, Category III and IV airports only collect wait time data when they 

estimate the wait times to be longer than 10 minutes, so although the Daily Leadership 

Report will list Category III and IV airports, there may be days when no wait time data are 

reported for these airports.

12When TSA established this center in May 2016, they referred to it as the Incident 

Command Center. TSA changed the name to the Airport Operations Center in October 

2016.
Page 7 GAO-18-563T Aviation Security

monitored by the center to enter passenger wait time data and throughput 

data hourly (whereas the remaining airports are only required to submit 

data once daily, by 3:30 AM Eastern Time, as described above) so that

officials can monitor the operations in near real time. In addition, TSA 

officials at airports are required to report to the center when an event 

occurs—such as equipment malfunctions, weather-related events, or 

unusually high passenger throughput—that affects airport screening 

operations and results in wait times that are greater than TSA’s standards 

of 30 minutes in standard screening lanes or greater than 15 minutes in 

expedited screening lanes.13

If an airport is undergoing a period of prolonged wait times, we found that 

officials at the Airport Operations Center reported coordinating with the 

Regional Director and the FSD to assist in deploying resources. For 

example, over the course of the summer of 2016, after certain airports 

experienced long wait times in the spring of 2016 as confirmed by our 

analysis, the center assisted in deploying additional passenger screening 

canines and TSOs to those airports that experienced longer wait times. 

The center disseminates a morning and evening situational report to TSA 

airport-level officials and airport stakeholders summarizing nationwide 

wait times, highlighting wait times at the top airports and any hot spots 

(unexpected passenger volume or other operational challenges) that may 

have occurred since the most recent report was issued. In addition to the 

near real-time monitoring of 28 airports, the center also monitors 

operations at all other airports and disseminates information to airports 

and stakeholders as needed.

For our February 2018 report, to determine the extent to which TSA 

exceeded its wait time standards, we analyzed wait time data for the 28 

airports monitored by the Airport Operations Center for the period of 

January 2015 through May 2017 for both standard and expedited 

screening. Our analysis showed that TSA met its wait time standard of 

 13In 2007, we reviewed TSA’s Staffing Allocation Model and reported that TSA had a 10 

minute wait time goal for passenger screening (GAO, Aviation Security: TSA’s Staffing 

Allocation Model Is Useful for Allocating Staff among Airports, but Its Assumptions Should 

Be Systematically Reassessed, GAO-07-299 (Washington, D.C.: February 28, 2007)). 

According to TSA headquarters officials we interviewed for our February 2018 report and 

the TSA Administrator’s October 2015 testimony before the House Committee on 

Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Transportation Security, TSA began prioritizing 

security effectiveness rather than speed in 2015, in response to concerns regarding 

security effectiveness following the completion of the September 2015 DHS Office of 

Inspector General Report on covert testing, which used undercover methods to test TSA 

operations.
Page 8 GAO-18-563T Aviation Security

less than 30 minutes in standard screening at the 28 airports 99.3 percent 

of the time for the period of January 2015 through May 2017. For 

expedited screening for the same time period at the same airports, we 

found that 100 percent of the time passengers were reported to have 

waited 19 minutes or less.14

Additionally, our analysis confirmed that the percentage of passengers in 

standard screening who waited over 30 minutes increased in 2016 during 

the months of March, April, and May as compared to 2015 at all 28 

airports. Our analysis also confirmed that reported wait times increased in 

the spring of 2016 at selected airports, as mentioned in the news media. 

For example, in May 2016, approximately 22 percent of passengers at 

Chicago O’Hare International airport and 26 percent of passengers at 

Chicago Midway International airport waited over 30 minutes in standard 

screening as opposed to zero percent for both airports in May 2015, 

which accounted for the longest wait times in the spring of 2016. These 

two airports were part of the 28 airports for which we analyzed wait time 

data for the period of January 2015 through May 2017.

In February 2018, we reported that FSDs and their staff at the airports we 

visited identified a variety of tools that they utilize to respond to increases 

in passenger wait times and/or throughput.

• TSOs from the National Deployment Force —teams of additional 

TSOs—are available for deployment to airports to support screening 

operations during major events and seasonal increases in 

passengers.15 For example, TSA officials at one airport we visited 

received National Deployment Force officers during busy holiday 

seasons and officials at another airport received officers during the 

increase in wait times in the spring and summer of 2016.

• TSA officials at selected airports used passenger screening canines 

to expedite the screening process and support screening operations 

 14Although the TSA standard for expedited screening is 15 minutes, TSA does not 

routinely report the data this way. For expedited screening, TSA provided wait time data in 

increments of 0-4 minutes; 5-9 minutes; 10-19 minutes; and 20 minutes or more and we 

analyzed the data in these same increments. These are the similar increments that TSA 

uses to prepare its Daily Leadership Report.

15TSA’s National Deployment Force officers support airport screening operations during 

emergencies, seasonal demands, severe weather conditions, or increased passenger 

activity requiring additional screening personnel above those normally available.

TSA Airport Officials 

Reported Using a 

Variety of Tools to 

Respond to Increases 

in Passenger Wait 

Times and 

Throughput
Page 9 GAO-18-563T Aviation Security

during increased passenger throughput and wait time periods.16 For 

example, TSA officials at one airport we visited emphasized the 

importance of passenger screening canines as a useful tool to 

minimize wait times and meet passenger screening demands at times 

when throughput is high. Officials at another airport we visited relied

on these canines in busy terminals during peak periods. According to 

officials at two of the airports we visited, the use of passenger 

screening canines helped them to reduce wait times due to increased 

passenger volumes in the spring and summer of 2016.

• TSA officials at selected airports also utilize part-time TSOs and 

overtime hours to accommodate increases in passenger throughput 

and wait times. For example, according to officials at all eight of the 

airports we visited, they used overtime during peak travel times, such 

as holiday travel seasons, and officials usually planned the use of 

overtime in advance. Additionally, TSA officials at four of the airports 

we visited told us they used part-time TSOs to help manage peak 

throughput times throughout the day.

• According to TSA officials at two of the airports we visited, they 

moved TSOs between checkpoints to accommodate increases in 

passenger throughput at certain checkpoints and to expedite 

screening operations. For example, TSA officials at one airport we 

visited have a team of TSOs that terminal managers can request on 

short notice. Officials at the other airport estimated that they move 

TSOs between terminals about 40 times per day.

 16Passenger screening canine teams consist of a canine trained to detect explosives on 

passengers and a handler. Airports at which passenger screening canines are used can 

achieve a reduction in passenger wait times through broader use of expedited screening. 

Passenger screening canines are allocated to airports through a risk-based model, with 

airports with higher passenger throughput rates, among other factors, receiving more 

canines.
Page 10 GAO-18-563T Aviation Security

Chairman Katko, Ranking Member Watson Coleman and Members of the 

Subcommittee, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be 

pleased to respond to any questions that you may have at this time.

For questions about this statement, please contact William Russell at 

(202) 512-8777 or russellw@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of 

Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page 

of this statement. Individuals making key contributions to this statement 

include Ellen Wolfe (Assistant Director), Joel Aldape, Brendan 

Kretzschmar, and Natalie Swabb. Key contributors for the previous report 

that this testimony is based on are listed in the product.

GAO Contacts and 

Staff 

Acknowledgments

(102795)
Page 11 GAO-18-563T Aviation Security

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