The growing number of travelers flying out of San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport might see long lines on busy days -- but it won't be because of cuts in security staff, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
In August, the federal agency announced it would reduce the number of security screeners by a third to 13 full-time equivalent positions.
Last week, the TSA reversed that decision, citing double-digit increases in both flights and passengers over the past few years.
The local airport will keep 19.9 positions -- a slight increase in hours from its original allocation, local airport officials say.
"Hallelujah!" said Martin Pehl, the county's assistant airports manager. "I'm glad they realized what was appropriate. The 13, in our opinion, would have been a serious mistake on their part."
That opinion was shared by other airport officials, local leaders, congressional representatives and even the head of the federal agency's local operations, who objected strongly to the previous decision.
While 21 screeners work at the county's only commercial airport, some are part-timers, Pehl said. According to TSA, there are no plans to change existing staffing.
Local officials now say they believe the federal agency will continue to provide adequate screening staff as the airport continues to grow.
Construction to extend the runway to accommodate larger regional jets will begin next summer, while a larger terminal is planned in the next five years.
"We have a high demand from the public to use this airport," Pehl said. "If we add more seats, we know we can fill them."
The airport's ability to handle the demand and offer non-stop flights to more cities plays a big role in this region's ability to attract high-paying employers and free-spending tourists, said Dave Garth, chief executive of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce.
"I think it's like anything in the government," said county Supervisor Jerry Lenthall, whose district includes the airport. "We have to justify our positions. I'm confident and comfortable that if we need more people later on that we'll get results."
Last year, Congress voted to cap the number of screeners at the nation's 450 airports at 45,000.
To meet this mandate, the TSA has begun annual reviews to determine how they will be distributed.
Various data -- including the number of flights, passengers, checked bags and security lanes at each airport, as well as flight schedules and arrival patterns -- is fed into a computer to determine the number of screeners.
The numbers announced in August were based on data collected in late 2004, said TSA spokesman Nico Melendez.
Almost immediately after local officials called for the announced staffing cuts to be reviewed, the agency said it would reallocate screeners based on new data gathered in August.
Last month, 1,234 flights took off or landed in San Luis Obispo, according to Julie Wolter, the accounting technician who tracks the airport's statistics.
That's a 15 percent increase over the same period last year. Meanwhile, 32,652 passengers got on or off planes at the airport -- a 12 percent increase since October 2004.
"Also, the airlines are shifting to larger aircraft," Pehl noted. "Instead of processing 20 people (per flight), they are processing 50 people. There's a potential that they'll be processing 90 people in the future."
The federal goal is to keep passenger waits in the screening line to 10 minutes, Melendez said.
That gets tougher when aircraft are boarding more passengers at one time, or when several flights are boarding in a short period of time.
Garth, who frequently flies for business, said he's often seen lines out the door at the small airport and he's barely gotten through in time to board his plane even when he arrives more than an hour in advance.
But Pehl said that's partly because of inadequate facilities to accommodate the screening process.
"I think the local folks of the TSA are doing a fine job," Pehl said. "Our terminal is way undersized. It was built in 1980. It was a different world in terms of airline security."
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