US: Travellers stuck in airport lines as TSA, Congress deny blame

There is broad agreement that US airports will not be a pleasant place this summer as security screening lines swell and officials warn that delays will trigger missed flights and may even harm the economy. Where there is disagreement is how we got here. Lawmakers say the TSA is to blame for poor use of resources and failing to anticipate growing traffic levels. The agency says it is doing the best it can within budgetary limits imposed by Congress and the “current threat environment.” “This stare-down match or game of chicken that they are engaging in now is maybe adorable to some, but the chickens will come home to roost once summer travel season begins,” said Jonathan Grella, executive VP for public affairs at the US Travel Association. “We’re incredibly concerned about this communications gap.” Growing numbers of airline passengers, a decrease in TSA employees and an agency reeling from criticism last year that its security wasn’t adequate has created dysfunction at the nation’s airports. Staffing authorised by Congress for the TSA has fallen from 47,147 full-time employees in 2013 to 42,525 this year, a decrease of almost 10%, according to agency data. At the same time, the volume of passengers rose from 643m to an estimated 740m this year, or 15%, according to TSA. The result: in one week during peak spring travel in March, almost 6,800 people traveling on American Airlines missed flights due to delays at TSA checkpoints, airline spokesman Casey Norton said.<br/>