TSA Airport Security Complaints Falling to Near-Record Lows
Travelers’ complaints about airport security have fallen to near-record lows, according to Bloomberg which bases its reporting on October 2011 statistics.
Read about the TSA Turns 10: A Love-Hate Thing
Complaints Down Nearly 60% Since 2004
Complaint figures fell nearly 60 percent from a high back in May of 2004, the year government began keeping these records. The lowest complaint month ever was this past September.
The drop-off could mean one of two things: either people don’t bother to complain anymore, or, as seems likely to several security experts, the TSA is starting to get it right with its increasingly multi-layered, targeted approach.
What the TSA is Getting Right
Changes in the TSA approach this year include less graphic imaging software in some of the nearly 500 body scan machines nationwide, as well as relaxed rules for kids aged 12 and under, who now get to keep their shoes on.
The security agency is also winning fans with its PreCheck pilot program, which is still in the experimental phase but has now been expanded to include seven U.S. airports.
Today, the TSA has nearly 50,000 officers who screen more than 1.7 million passengers at 450 airports every day. And yes, they still get complaints, but not nearly as many as they once did.
