Airport Screening and Delays Hurting Economy, Survey Says

Government security screening procedures, many of which have been tightened in the years since 9/11, are there to protect the country from devastating terrorist attacks. But a new survey is blaming the procedures for hurting the nation’s economy.

In an article on the Government Executive website, Chris Strohm says the survey by the Travel Industry Association found that travelers avoided more than 41 million flights last year due to security screening procedures, costing the US economy about $26 billion.

“Frustration with the air-travel process has hit a tipping point,” Roger Dow, president of the association, which advocates for and lobbies on behalf of the travel industry, told Strohm. “Our economy cannot afford what amounts to a $26 billion blow. This research should be a wake-up call to America’s policy leaders that the time for meaningful air-system reform is now.”

The survey also found that 75 percent of travelers believe the air-travel system is either broken or in need of moderate correction. Nearly one third of respondents avoided at least one flight over the last year — amounting to about 112,000 flights a day — due to problems with the air travel process, which includes flight delays and security screening conducted by the Homeland Security Department.

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