FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Isakson, Chambliss Urge TSA to Reduce Delays, Improve Efficiency at Hartsfield-Jackson Security Checkpoints

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) have sent a letter to the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration urging the TSA to work with Atlanta airport officials to improve efficiency at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport security checkpoints.

“Hartsfield-Jackson is the busiest airport in the world, and it is absolutely essential for the TSA to work with airport officials to provide security that is vigilant but that also allows passengers to get through the checkpoints in a timely manner,” Isakson said.   

“The personnel at Hartsfield-Jackson work tirelessly to ensure the security of travelers and it is critical that the TSA address the needs being expressed by officials at the airport,” said Chambliss.  “Literally millions of people pass through Hartsfield-Jackson each year, so every effort must be made to ensure that efficiency and safety is given top priority.”

Wait times for security lines have increased at Hartsfield-Jackson as airports have witnessed record travel numbers this summer. Hartsfield-Jackson expects about 30 million fliers to pass through the airport between May and the end of August.

The text of the Aug. 2 letter to Secretary Kip Hawley of the Transportation Security Administration is below:

Dear Secretary Hawley:

We are writing in regards to delays at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. We are asking for your assistance in making certain information available to the Department of Aviation so that they can better understand TSA's scheduling process.

We thank you for sending Melvin Caraway and Kelly Hoggan to Hartsfield-Jackson to meet with Department of Aviation officials and Aviation General Manager Ben DeCosta. We were told the meeting was very productive, and that your staff shared that adding staff to Hartsfield-Jackson was not the answer, but instead scheduling more efficiently is the answer to the delays at Hartsfield-Jackson according to the staffing model.

We ask that you share the staffing and scheduling model with Mr. DeCosta, airline stakeholders, and our offices in an effort to better understand what can be done to improve efficiency at the checkpoints at Hartsfield-Jackson. As we have seen with the recent attacks in Glasgow, having a crowded terminal with long waits at the security checkpoint presents an attractive target to those that would wish to inflict harm upon our country.

Thank you for the work you are doing and for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your written response in no more than 5 business days from receipt of this letter, and should you or your staff have any questions please do not hesitate to call us.

Sincerely,
Saxby Chambliss                                       Johnny Isakson
United States Senator                                United States Senator

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