TSA positions unfilled as airlines expect passenger surge

As Memorial Day nears, agency still scrambling to reach hiring goal.

The Transportation Security Administration has undertaken an effort to recruit thousands of new officers for airport checkpoints as cooped-up travelers increasingly resume flying.

The agency has hosted virtual recruitment fairs and is seeking candidates on social media. To get recruits in the door quickly, the agency recently began offering a $500 bonus to candidates at some airports if they fill out background-check paperwork within five days.

But with Memorial Day approaching, the TSA is about one-third of the way to reaching a goal it publicized in February to hire 6,000 officers by summer. Internal agency bulletins reviewed by the Washington Post indicate that checkpoint wait times are sometimes more than 45 minutes at some airports because of passenger volume and staffing issues.

Air travel tumbled during the first months of the pandemic, but millions of Americans are flying each week and airlines expect more will be itching to take vacations after coronavirus vaccinations. The TSA announced the hiring drive in February to get ready for a surge in travel, outlining a massive push for an agency that employs about 47,000 officers.

Susan Tashiro, assistant TSA administrator for domestic aviation, said in a statement that the agency is “well-positioned to support increased travel volumes through the summer.” The statement said the agency has hired about 2,200 officers in advance of the summer and that the goal to hire 6,000 officers actually reflects a target for the budget year, which runs through September.

“Travel patterns changed somewhat during the pandemic

and some passengers may have grown accustomed to walk-up screening,” Tashiro said. “Passengers should anticipate that wait times will begin to return to pre-pandemic levels.”

Some forecasts initially predicted the recovery of air travel would take years, but recent passenger levels show demand for leisure travel, in particular, has rapidly bounced back. TSA officers are regularly screening 1.5 million people each day — a large jump from a year earlier, but down from 2019, when 2.5 million screenings per day were routine over the summer.

In the midst of its recent hiring drive, the TSA began a switch to a new computer system used to process recruits. A bumpy transition hampered the recruitment effort.

The process to become a TSA officer can take months and involves testing, interviews, medical reviews and a background check. The lengthy hiring process also raises the prospect of candidates finding work elsewhere. Tashiro acknowledged that people applying to the TSA could be pursuing other opportunities that might lure them away.

“This is normal, and a great sign that our economy is recovering,” she said.

BOB ANDRES/BANDRES@AJC.COM 2016 Business slumped at Hartsfield-jackson and other airports during the first months of the pandemic, but millions of Americans are now flying each week, and airlines expect more to take vacations after coronavirus vaccinations.