Wait times at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport remain low despite TSA agents working without pay. But how long will things continue to run smoothly? WBFO’s Nick Lippa reports.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported TSA brought in 20 officers, who are also not being paid, from other cities to Atlanta to help staff checkpoints after passengers reported two hour waits earlier in the week.
While everything is currently status quo in Buffalo, NFTA Director of Aviation William Vanecek said workers are visibly disappointed. If they stopped coming to work, they’d be hard to replace.
“It’s mandatory training for individuals to be a TSA agent to be able to perform the types of services they do with a checkpoint and other parts of the airport,” Vanecek said. “It’s not like we can just go out and hire a security firm and do that type of activity. So I’m just hoping it doesn’t get to that point.”
And it’s not just front-line agents seen at checkpoints impacted by the shutdown.
“There’s a whole management group as well,” Vanecek said. “They’re feeling a lot of the heat also and not getting paid. It’s interesting that we always focus on the front line personnel. They do a heck of a job. And obviously with salary structures, etcetera… it’s probably going to be harder on those folks than management, but management is feeling the pressure as well.”
Management jobs include making sure safety and security protocols in place as well as inspection groups that work in compliance with police.
Vanecek said they experienced problems on the very first day off the shutdown, but not for the reason you would think.
“14 sick calls in the morning for our morning rush. Which gave us a fairly significant delay for about 35 minutes. That’s something that puts you on the TSA ‘hot spot’ report. But since then we’ve had no issues whatsoever with people showing up. Turns out people were actually sick as opposed to calling in to do a protest or express their unhappiness.”
Vanecek said they would post wait times if they became elongated to give travelers a heads up.
“I’m hoping that it doesn’t have much of an impact for our travelers. I think there’s a lot going on that indicates that as people get more frustrated with their jobs, who knows how that will affect their performance,” he said. “I’m just very hopeful for them that they can get something resolved soon.”
“We have to make sure that those people getting on planes don’t present a risk to other planes, other property. The last thing we’d want to have is somebody who has ill will for whatever reason and wants to come in and do some sort of a harm to aircraft operations.”
President Donald Trump signed a law Wednesday ensuring government employees will receive back pay, but that will not come until the shutdown ends.
