Head Of TSA Grilled On Plans To Improve Long Airport Lines

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A Congressional committee grilled the head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Wednesday over his plans to get passengers through airport security faster.

Some travelers fear the long wait times and are concerned it may get worse heading into summer.

"Asking passengers to arrive three hours early for domestic flights is unacceptable," said Rep. Bonnie Thompson (D-MS).

Peter Neffenger laid out his plan in front of the Homeland Security Committee. The plan included additional employee training, investing in new technology and a new incident command center.

"One of my fundamental priorities is to dramatically expand the pre-check program and the capability to enroll people in pre-check," said Neffenger.

Several lawmakers questioned how the former top security operations official received a  $90,000 bonus—given scenes of long lines and strewn baggage in Chicago.

"I can't justify the level of bonuses that were provided in the past. I can tell you I stopped that," said Neffenger.

The U.S. Travel Association says long wait times could force Americans to skip travel during the peak summer season - an estimated $4-billion  drain on the economy.

"The whole flying thing is bad. The skies aren't friendly anymore," said passenger Bill Mitchell.

Earlier this month, Congress approved $34 million for the TSA to hire nearly 800 additional screeners and overtime pay. The TSA said those workers should be on the job by June 15th.