Hundreds of people breached airport security in last year, TSA says

Hundreds of people have bypassed some Transportation Security Administration measures at airports in the past 12 months, the agency told The Washington Post, revealing a vulnerability in air travel that has been reflected in a series of incidents. In November, for instance, two women were arrested at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for breaching a secured exit when they were running late to their flight. Then there was a ticketed traveler at Palm Springs International Airport who walked through an unstaffed body scanner on Feb. 22, leading authorities to evacuate post-security areas as a precaution. Also in February, a woman at the Nashville International Airport bypassed TSA officers who check IDs and sneaked into the bag-screening line. After her belongings passed through the X-ray, she boarded an American Airlines flight without a ticket. She flew to Los Angeles International, where she was detained by the FBI. She has not been charged; the FBI said it could not comment on a pending investigation. “It is a larger number than we realized,” said TSA spokesperson R. Carter Langston. Since March 2023, there have been at least 300 instances of people bypassing parts of airport security, Langston said. He described security lapses as a “trend” that has caught TSA’s attention - and an issue the agency is attempting to mitigate. Security experts say airports and airplanes remain some of the safest public spaces in the United States. But a rise in passengers bypassing security increases the chances, no matter how small, of someone dangerous sneaking through.<br/>