The Transportation Security Administration is hiring 1,000 more officers before July 4 due to a significant uptick in travel since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
National agencies are preparing for increased domestic air travel as more than 1.8 million people made their way across TSA checkpoints Sunday, marking a pandemic-era record for travel.
Acting TSA Administrator Darby LaJoye announced the most recent hiring spree at a Tuesday news conference.
“We have already seen a sharp rise at the nation’s airports and will continue to experience steady increases throughout the summer,” LaJoye said.
TSA EXTENDS TRAVELER FACE MASK REQUIREMENT THROUGH SUMMER
The wide availability of the COVID-19 vaccine has led to an increase in travel rates, leading to an urgent TSA hiring blitz to speed up the process for travelers passing through security gates, according to Reuters.
The agency announced a recruiting event is slated for Wednesday afternoon at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Several other airports around the nation have also hosted TSA recruitment events in the past month.
The TSA will try to fill “over 6,000 Transportation Security Officer (TSO) positions by summer 2021,” the company said in a statement on Feb. 19.
On May 19, Southwest Airlines reported more flights were being filled by travelers booking trips, and travel fares for June were approaching pre-pandemic level prices, according to the Associated Press.
International travel for U.S. residents is suspended due to pandemic restrictions. Several airline companies are slated to begin lifting European travel restrictions this summer, including United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines, Reuters reported.
The United Kingdom “is the furthest along. Our belief is if we can open U.K., the rest follows,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association.
The U.S. government is “following the facts, the data, the science in making the decision as to when business, international travel actually can resume. … This is something we are evaluating each and every day,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
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The Washington Examiner contacted the TSA, the Department of Homeland Security, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines but did not immediately receive a response.
