TSA queues stretched far outside the terminal at the Austin airport on Friday morning. This was widely being reported as a consequence of the partial government shutdown, with screeners working for deferred pay, and it’s easy to understand why people were making that connection. But that’s not what was happening at all.
This was Friday morning around 5 a.m. Early mornings at the Austin airport are peak times. It was Friday. At the start of Spring Break. As one tranche of South By Southwest had just ended. That meant about 50% more people were departing the airport than on an average day.
By 7 a.m. when I was at the airport lines had largely cleared out, and a couple of hours later they were completely deserted. TSA staffing was as-expected. In fact, I should add that a new checkpoint had even just opened! The ‘West Infill Project’ had completed and added a checkpoint that was eliminated several years ago at the west end of the headhouse.
Austin airport general security line 4:34am
by
u/fuckTheRedditApp3 in
Austin
Saturday morning by the way is a repeat. Pre-check and CLEAR were out the door, too. Avoid pre-8 a.m. departures out of Austin on peak travel days whenever possible.
However, there are real problems that mostly have to do with TSA – but not with the shutdown.
- They’ve adopted procedures and technology, like Analogic scanners, that take far longer than the machines that came before them.
- And unfortunately, TSA really doesn’t adequately vary or surge staffing based on known factors like weather or special events. It was easy to know what to expect based on events, and also just that parking garages have been completely full for days. The economy lot and the close-in daily lot were both closed. The response to high travel volume is usually to tell passengers to show up hours earlier, rather than to demand accountability from TSA.
TSA is largely unaccountable because it is its own regulator. It provides the screening service in most airports, and regulates the screening service. Whenever they fail, the solution is more money. That’s a terrible incentive.
Gary what would you like see happen? It seems that your dislike of TSA is more of how long YOU have to wait for something or how many people say “Good morning Mr.Leff”. Don’t pretent that you somehow are really concerned about anything other than how many people kiss your ass. You champion going back to the days of minimally-skilled people making minimum wage using substandard equipment. You’re even so arrogant to go as far as kicking these people when they have no money coming in for working. Would you expect YOUR employees to do that? Look, I wouldn’t say that I love TSA people and I haven’t really had any problems with them either. I think they’ve improved quite a bit. What’s your REAL problem with them?
Governments aren’t known for innovation. I am guessing @1990 will blame the current administration and demand more pay for everyone. If only they would support universal health care, open borders and citizenship for all aliens – legal or illegal.
The security theater monkeys at Austin made me wait last week.
– so they could scan my phone
– which was in my bag
– that went through the scanner
– and then timed out because they don’t know what they’re doing.
When the government is shutdown the TSA is paid exactly what they’re worth. They are criminally incompetent trash, and documented thieves.
Chris, get off your knees. The tsa are worthless.