Dallas, TX (May 30, 2003) – Despite protest from both airport officials and members of Congress, the Transportation Security Administration is cutting 256 federal security screeners at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The local layoffs are part of an estimated 3,000 men and women working on the frontlines of homeland security who are receiving pink slips by the end of this month.
D/FW airport is losing 18 percent of its 1,415 federal screeners at the end of May. James Loy, head of the Transportation Security Administration, says this is part of the agency's elimination of six-thousand jobs nationwide this fiscal year. And because of the relatively short waiting times at D/FW’s checkpoints, the TSA will first consider shifting available screeners to airports with much longer waiting times.
Travel Expert, John Krieger of Admiral of the Fleet Cruise and Tour Center, says the layoffs come at a horrible time. While there may be too many screeners at some airports this could be another blow to domestic air travel which is already off over 18 percent.
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger and former member of the D/FW Board of Directors, isn’t happy with the decision either. She said while the TSA needs to become more efficient, it can't ignore the effect that screener cuts will have at major airports. D/FW airport’s chief executive officer, Jeffrey Fegan, wanted the TSA to reconsider the planned cuts, concerned about the impact it may have on customer service.
'With so many people already seeking alternatives to air travel, making flying even more inconvenient, and in the mind of the consumers, less secure, does not bode well for the recovery of the major airlines,' Mr. Krieger says.
DFW isn’t alone in losing a large percentage of its screeners; Dallas Love Field will lose 12.2 percent. Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport will lose more than a fifth of its screeners, according to TSA officials. Some smaller Texas airports will lose more than half of their screeners. For example Southeast Texas Regional Airport in Beaumont is expected to lose 70 percent.
As for passengers, longer lines may be in their future. The average wait time at DFW has been approximately six minutes, but Loy says he won't guarantee that federal screeners will meet Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta's goal of passenger waits of no longer than ten minutes.
Travel expert, John Krieger of Admiral of The Fleet Cruise and Tour Center is available to discuss what this means for passengers, airlines and the travel industry.
