22 October 2009

Inept TSA leads to growing privatization of airport security

Rude customer service and long wait lines prompted Glacier Park International Airport in Alaska to do what others are doing: privatize their airport security force.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) created in 2004 Screening Partnership Program allows all commercial airports an opportunity to apply to use private security screeners. So far, 15 of 450 airports across the nation have opted to privatize, says Daily Inter Lake.com.

Airport Director Cindi Martin said Glacier Park International has applied to privatize because what TSA offers the airport is not meeting its needs.

"We've had a fair share of complaints about customer service and wait times," Martin said. "If we don't have adequate staffing, it frustrates travelers. This is an ongoing problem with TSA nationwide."

This does not make the TSA employees happy.

"We're concerned about our jobs, our seniority, our benefits," Eric Wood, a security worker at the airport, was quoted as saying. He said some employees were concerned the private force would lead to higher costs for consumers.

Dwayne Baird, a regional spokesman for TSA, said the decision to privatize is up to each airport, but the agency requires that the private contractors maintain the same standards of security and the same benefits for employees during the duration of the contract.

However, Baird and others maintain that TSA is already operating an efficient program.

By David Wilkening