TSA sends dozens of security officers to O'Hare to cut long delays
CHICAGO -- The Transportation Security Administration said it is immediately sending 58 new security officers and four more bomb-sniffing dog teams to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to address long delays at security checkpoints.
The move comes as officials at the Chicago Department of Aviation advised anyone flying out of O'Hare or Midway International Airport to show up three hours before their flight's scheduled departure time, CBS Chicago reported.
That's even longer than the two-hour cushion the TSA has suggested for domestic flights, although the TSA recommends arriving three hours early for international flights.
The early arrival advisement comes at a time of growing anger at TSA's performance. Airports in New York and New Jersey last week warned the federal agency that flyers' patience is at a "breaking point."
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs JFK, LaGuardia and Newark, said it might implement a plan already under consideration in Atlanta and Seattle, where officials could hire outside help, contracting with private security companies.
In Chicago, over the past several days, many passengers have said they missed their flights, even after following the TSA's recommendations to show up two hours early for a domestic flight, because they've had to wait up to three hours in line for security.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin's office said Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson assured the Illinois Democrat on Tuesday that resources are being directed to O'Hare, an important air traffic hub. Illinois' other senator, Republican Mark Kirk, demanded the TSA administrator resign if delays at O'Hare and Midway aren't resolved by Memorial Day.
Lengthening security wait times have been a problem at major U.S. airports as passenger numbers increase ahead of the summer travel season. TSA and Congress have cut the number of screeners in the past three years.
Durbin is also pressing TSA to speed enrollment in the PreCheck expedited screening program.
At 6 a.m. Tuesday, the Chicago Department of Aviation sent out messages on its Twitter accounts for O'Hare and Midway, advising travelers about unusually long lines for security, CBS Chicago reported.
"It's been a miserable situation; a real meltdown," Durbin said of the increasingly long security lines at airports across the U.S.