Every day, air travelers line up outside Dallas/Fort Worth Airport's Gate C-20/21 and wait their turn to go through security.
While most of D/FW's checkpoints are fast, the wait at C-20/21 is particularly bad -- up to 35 minutes, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
That's unacceptable to the airport. To address the problem, airport board members on Thursday are expected to approve a plan to expand the security area by knocking out a nearby stairway.
If the board goes ahead with the $192,000 plan, the TSA has agreed to add metal detectors, other equipment and security workers, airport officials said.
Other checkpoint improvements are planned for this year at gates A-21, A-35 and B-30.
"Some of these areas will be very critical this summer for customer wait times," Clay Paslay, executive vice president of airport development, told board members during a committee meeting Tuesday.
The board's regular monthly meeting begins at 11 a.m. Thursday at the airport's Rental Car Center.
The board is also expected to:
Award a $1.3 million custodial services contract to SPC Airport Services of California. Several board members said they would rather hire local company Members Building Maintenance Ltd. of Carrollton, whose bid was $11,000 higher.
Replace 23 airport shuttles at a cost of $1.6 million. The outgoing vehicles, which are powered by compressed natural gas, are only 2 years old, but they have racked up 150,000 miles each. In the airport shuttle business, that's retirement age.
Welcome two new board members: Lillie Biggins of Fort Worth and Benjamin "Ben" Muro of Dallas.
Biggins, who took the helm in April, replaces longtime airport board member Robert McAfee of Fort Worth, who will officially say goodbye Thursday.
Muro, who was appointed last week by the Dallas City Council, replaces Pedro Aguirre.
