SPRINGFIELD — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it is prepared to screen high volumes of passengers at airport security checkpoints this summer travel season, which begins Memorial Day weekend and runs through Labor Day.
The agency forecasts Friday will be the busiest day of the long weekend, and is projecting to screen approximately 2.6 million passengers.
The agency announced earlier this week that teenagers aged 13-17 may now accompany TSA PreCheck-enrolled parents or guardians through screening when traveling on the same reservation and when the TSA PreCheck indicator appears on the teen’s boarding pass. Children 12 and under already can accompany enrolled parents or guardians without restriction.
“TSA is ready to handle this summer’s anticipated increase in travel. Our staffing levels are better and this is largely due to better pay for all TSA employees which starts on July 1,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “This key action, supported by the President and Congress, enables us, for the first time in TSA’s history, to pay our workforce using the same pay scale that applies to other federal employees. As expected, this has already improved our recruiting and retention rates.”
Pekoske said this will result in a better and more efficient experience for passengers.
TSA said it is also continuing efforts to modernize airport checkpoints.
