Bag-Screening Staff Shortage Prevents Airlines from Expanding into New Markets

Sept. 7, 2006
Irwin said the agency had 57,000 screeners at one time, but that number is now capped at 43,000 to encourage the implementation of high-tech screening devices as a way of dealing with increasing passenger levels.

The shortage of luggage screening staff at smaller commercial airports is starting to hamstring some airlines' ability to expand service in those markets, officials from two regional air carriers said Thursday.

The problem could prevent airlines from offering more frequency or additional destinations to places like Redmond Airport, even if carriers have the ability to do so, those officials said.

A representative from one airline also hinted that the carrier is looking to upgrade the airplanes used to serve Central Oregon.

Both Seattle-based Horizon Air and St. George, Utah-based SkyWest Airlines have encountered problems with scheduling new flights at certain airports due to a shortage of screeners, representatives told a crowd of airport managers gathered in Redmond. SkyWest flies in Redmond as Delta Connection and United Express.

SkyWest was recently told by officials from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration that there aren't enough screeners at Arcata/Eureka Airport in Northern California to accommodate a third overnight departure, said Steve Hart, the airline's vice president of market development.

"The TSA basically said, 'We don't have room, so you're going to have to re-schedule'," Hart said.

Bruce Tecklenburg, director of schedule planning with Horizon, said his company is encountering a similar problem for a flight scheduled to launch next March from Santa Rosa, Calif.

"We hope we'll start (that flight) by March," Tecklenburg told the crowd visiting for an airport management convention.

Tecklenburg added that Horizon may talk to management at Santa Rosa Airport regarding hiring private screeners to increase security capacity.

The problem is nationwide, said Mike Irwin, TSA's Oregon federal security director.

Irwin said the agency had 57,000 screeners at one time, but that number is now capped at 43,000 to encourage the implementation of high-tech screening devices as a way of dealing with increasing passenger levels.

"The problem is that we've got 43,000 security officers," he said. "That's it. So if we add some people in one place, we'll have to take some people away from another place."

Irwin added that the idea of private screeners is interesting and may be worth further discussion.

The key, whether private screener are used or not, is that airlines must let airports know of any new service or scheduling at least three months ahead, said Redmond Airport Manager Carrie Novick.

"Airlines must give us enough time to talk to TSA so we can work with them," Novick said. "That way, (new services) won't be delayed."

Security screening capacity isn't the only problem facing regional airlines. Both SkyWest and Horizon noted the rising fuel prices and increasing operating fees at larger airports like Portland and Seattle are major hurdles.

To counter those costs, both airlines say they are upgrading their fleets to bigger planes. SkyWest is looking increasingly to larger CRJ regional jets to replace 30-passenger Brasilia turboprops, while Horizon intends to replace its 37-seat Dash-8s with the 74-seat Q400s by 2010.

Horizon's Tecklenburg said there's a good chance Redmond Airport will see some Q400s flying routes to Portland and Seattle, in addition to Los Angeles, in the next year.

SkyWest's Hart said there are no plans on the Redmond-San Francisco flight, currently flown on the Brasilia, to switch to a CRJ. "There's no question that there's sufficient traffic (in Central Oregon) to support a regional jet flight to San Francisco," he said. "But the revenue situation won't support it. (The San Francisco service) is used mostly by value-seeking leisure travelers, and that tends to mean lower yield.

"Certainly, two hours on a Brasilia is a long time," Hart added. "But we simply can't provide that service with CRJs right now. So the choice is between the Brasilia or nothing."

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