Janet Napolitano: Sequestration Already Causing Airport Delays

[onehandle]

Source: Huffington Post

Napolitano, who spoke at a Politico-sponsored event on the 10th anniversary of DHS, said delays will become worse. The Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection agencies, which are part of the Homeland Security Department, are in the process of issuing furlough notices and have cut overtime for employees.

CBP said in a statement later Monday that weekend delays in Los Angeles and Chicago were caused by "reduced primary booth staffing" because of cuts to overtime. CBP said wait times for passengers on 56 arriving flights at John F. Kennedy International in New York exceeded two hours, and passengers on 14 flights waited more than three hours. Delays at Miami International Airport of more than two hours were reported for 51 flights, and passengers from four flights experienced waits of about three hours. CBP said such waits were longer than usual.

TSA, which is responsible for screening passengers entering airports, said travelers can expect longer security checkpoint lines as the agency reduces overtimes and freezes hiring. TSA said in a statement that it expects to have about 1,000 vacancies by Memorial Day and as many as 2,600 by the end of the budget year in September.

Napolitano said she expects a cascading effect during the week, with wait times expected to double in worst cases.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/janet-napolitano-sequestration_n_2805380.html

[handmade34]

1. I am flying through JFK

Thursday... only 45 minutes between flights as is... this may not be fun

[eggplant]

3. You don't go through TSA when you are *changing* planes. n/t

[Fresh_Start]

2. This could be great news....especially if the DC area airports are severely impacted.

you know how Congress doesn't like being inconvienced by their own policies

[AnotherMcIntosh]

5. Many have their own planes or friends/lobbyists that do.

[Earth_First]

4. How much air travel is for pleasure purposes?

My son our daughter not having classroom instruction or my neighbor losing childcare.

This is what I am more concerned with than someone's inconveniences on their way to Disney World.

[christx30]

6. I care

I'm going to New Hampshire in April to visit my children for the first time in over a year.
Those wastes of skin in Washington need to get their heads out of their asses and fix this.
Or they all need to be fired at the midterms.

[Heather MC]

7. Too bad we can't fire them right now