"Atlanta City Council to consider asking for more airport screeners"

Thursday, May 13, 2004

City to consider asking for more airport screeners
By KIRSTEN TAGAMI
The Atlanta (GA) Journal-Constitution


Atlanta City Council members will consider a resolution asking the federal
government to make sure Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has enough
security screeners.

Members of the council's Transportation Committee on Wednesday asked airport
General Manager Ben DeCosta to write such a resolution. The request came two
days after some passengers had to wait as much as an hour and 20 minutes to
go through security screening.

DeCosta said the federal Transportation Security Administration simply
doesn't have enough staff at the airport.

Felicia Moore, chairwoman of the Transportation Committee, said the city
would distribute copies of the resolution to members of Congress.

Last year, the council passed a resolution saying passengers shouldn't have
to wait more than 10 minutes to get through Hartsfield-Jackson's security
checkpoint.

Travelers typically have long waits on Monday mornings, but weekend storms
that stranded about 800 people made this Monday especially bad, DeCosta
said.

Security screeners work for the TSA, which is operating under a
congressionally imposed cap of 45,000 full-time screeners nationwide.
DeCosta said there aren't enough at Hartsfield-Jackson to keep checkpoint
lanes open during peak times.


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