The top priority of the Transportation Security Administration is the security of our nation’s transportation network. To ensure the safety of all air travelers, TSA employs an extensive training program enabling our officers to perform their daily duties. Workforce training is a continuous effort for TSA, as new intelligence and potential threats emerge daily. Introduction of new screening equipment and procedures also require regular training, certification and recertification.
While our focus on training is to continually improve the security effectiveness across all modes of transportation, TSA also must strike a balance between security and workforce professionalism. To support that goal, TSA strives to complement its security protocols by integrating practices and principles of customer service into all its training products. High-quality training is vital to ensuring the workforce understands how customer-focused interactions with the traveling public enables officers to focus on those who may present the most risk.
TSA provides training tools to its workforce, including frontline employees with regular public engagement duties. TSA incorporates customer service in new hire and recurring training.
Transportation Security Officer new-hire training enhances customer service and the passenger experience by emphasizing respect, courtesy, integrity, transparency and communication. The training reinforces the TSA Code of Conduct that requires a commitment to professionalism and honesty. The training also establishes a foundation for TSA’s service culture that anticipates and is responsive to the needs of all passengers.
We encourage passengers to share their experiences with us, and we have a number of avenues for them to do so.
Passengers may request a supervisor at any point during the screening process. Comment cards are available at all security checkpoints. Travelers can also contact the TSA Contact Center with any questions and comments via email at TSA-ContactCenter@tsa.dhs.gov or by phone at 866-289-9673.
We evaluate passenger feedback to make security operations more effective, efficient, and customer friendly.
Those traits could be seen recently at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. During the busy Memorial Day weekend, TSA employees screened more than 400,000 passengers over six days, May 21-26, including a record-breaking Friday, May 22. Nearly 80,000 passengers were screened, breaking the previous single-day record of 77,000 passengers on Nov. 27, 2013.
While the volume of passengers was nearly 10 percent higher than the same time period in 2014, screening operations at ATL were efficient from both a security and customer-service perspective. Most holiday travelers waited between 10 and 19 minutes in regular screening queues and less than five minutes in TSA Precheck queues. Most importantly, security was not sacrificed for efficiency, with no major security incidents occurring during the holiday weekend.
Because of the hard work of our TSA Atlanta staff, we received a large number of positive comments over the long weekend.
With unexpected itinerary changes, inclement weather, traffic delays and varying wait times, the security checkpoint can become a stressful environment for passengers. As an agency funded by taxpayers and created to protect the traveling public, it’s TSA’s goal and responsibility to improve security while making the travel experience as efficient as possible.
Mary V. Leftridge Byrd is federal security director at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
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