WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — TSA officials have admitted that their own planning error caused delays that stranded passengers at city of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport earlier this month, which flooded social media with images of stranded passengers spending the night on benches and floors.
"As we head into Memorial Day weekend, the flying public will continue to hold TSA accountable if flights are missed due to agency mismanagement, slow screening and hours-long passenger wait times," Kirk stated. "An increase in canine units and more than 1,000 new staff are positive steps towards restoring smooth, safe travel for passengers nationwide."
However, delays at airports throughout the United States have lately reached crisis proportions, with officials warning passengers to arrive for flights hours earlier than usual.
Kirk has called for the resignation of TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger if the wait times do not decrease by Memorial Day on Monday.
The US Congress recently approved $34 million for TSA to hire more screeners and Kirk has sponsored legislation for an additional $79 million, on top of an earlier TSA budget request of $7.7 billion.
Poor working conditions and low morale at TSA have been blamed for a staff shortage, because screeners are quitting faster than the agency can hire and train replacements.
