Feds Offer Holiday Travel Tips

Government Says Be Prepared For Long Airport Lines

(AP)  The government warned Tuesday that airport security lines likely will get longer during the busy holiday travel season and offered tips to help limit how long people must wait.

Asa Hutchinson, the Homeland Security Department's undersecretary for border and transportation security, urged air travelers to do three things at security checkpoints to speed the process: put loose metal objects and electronics in carryon bags; take laptops out of cases; and take off coats and jackets.

Jim Corridore, an airline analyst at Standard & Poor's in New York, said air traffic is expected to be up only modestly during the travel period starting just prior to Thanksgiving and ending shortly after New Year's Day, so any security delays shouldn't be due to volume.

"It would be inappropriate for the government to put long lines on passenger demand," Corridore said.

The TSA has fewer full-time screeners at airports this year than last, so there is concern some airports may not have enough workers to handle all the passengers. Congress ordered the TSA to cut 6,000 screener jobs, or about 11 percent of all such positions, by Oct. 1 because it felt the agency had over-hired.

The agency now is adding part-time positions at 98 airports. Agency officials say part-timers allow more flexibility to meet the ebb and flow of air travel.

Hutchinson said wait times will vary at each airport. Patrick Hynes, federal security director at Washington's Reagan National Airport, said they range from a few minutes to 20 minutes, and can be as long as 35 minutes on a busy day.

Hutchinson said the agency is taking other steps to handle holiday crowds. It has ordered airports to cancel holiday leave for screeners and require them to work longer than 8-hour shifts where needed. The agency also is asking airlines to provide extra staff to help passengers through checkpoints.

The agency also is asking airport vendors to reschedule deliveries for slower periods and to perform preventive maintenance on the screening machines before the holiday traffic begins to build.