Cite hours-long wait times, increased summer travel at world’s busiest passenger airport in Atlanta

U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and David Perdue, R-Ga., are calling on the U.S. Travel Security Administration (TSA) to increase the number of security screeners at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport—the world’s busiest passenger airport.

In a letter to TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger, the senators cite hours-long delays at Hartsfield security checkpoints as well as the upcoming increase in summer travel as the critical need for deploying at least 100 additional transportation security officers to Atlanta.

“The continued success of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is critical to the prosperity of metro Atlanta and the state of Georgia,” the Georgia senators wrote. “Given the heavy passenger volumes forecast for Atlanta this summer, it is critical that adequate, trained personnel are in place to meet the expected demand.”

“Increasing the number of transportation security officers will result in better, more efficient use of Hartsfield-Jackson’s many screening lanes during all periods of the day, and especially at peak travel times,” they continued. “This will help prevent passenger inconvenience and missed flights. Furthermore, quickly clearing passengers from non-secured areas will enhance airport safety.”

The TSA recently announced plans to increase its number of transportation security officers by more than 700 new hires as part of an initiative to better equip and secure our nation’s airports. Perdue and Isakson make the argument to TSA that given the height of summer travel and Atlanta being home to the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield should receive no fewer than 100 of those new officers.

In recent weeks, passengers traveling out of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and other big U.S. airports have experienced extra-long security screening lines with wait times up to four hours for some. The busy summer rush is expected to continue over the next few months, including over the Memorial Day weekend, with tens of thousands of additional travelers expected to pass through Atlanta’s security checkpoints on certain days.

A copy of the letter is available here.