The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is doing something about those stress-inducing security checkpoint lines.
The agency is currently recruiting thousands of security officers, canine handlers and other positions as passenger lines reach all-time highs, CNBC reported.
Nonetheless, finding the right talent won’t be without its challenges.
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“With the uptick in the U.S. economy and increases in wages and compensation packages, like most employers we have steeper competition. We work hard to sell the benefits of federal employment to try to attract folks to help with America’s travel public,” TSA director for recruitment and field operations Keith Malley told CNBC. “The TSA position is hard; we ask a lot out of those officers…we have to work aggressively so people know what they are getting into. But it is very rewarding for them. They are working to support a very important mission.”
The hiring process takes about two months and newcomers must complete a two-week mandatory training academy in Glynco, Georgia, where they learn how to interact with passengers and use X-ray machines, among other things.
“I actually think people believe we’re taught to not care…to treat them wrong, and it’s not like that,” new security officer trainee Valeria Garcia told CNBC. “We actually learn how to treat passengers with a lot of care and respect and try to connect with them. Even if it’s just for two seconds, just to make the experience a little less frightful for them.”
Last month, TSA warned that passengers could be forced to wait up to an hour or more at security checkpoints in the days leading up to and after the Fourth of July holiday. That said, the agency’s plan to add more officers and speed up the process at airports across the country is undoubtedly welcome news for air travelers.
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