ATLANTA — As the government shutdown enters day 28, Hartsfield-Jackson International, the world’s busiest airport, appears to be operating as usual – thanks in part to Delta Air Lines, which offered employees to help Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents get passengers through the screening process.
Delta Air Lines said it pulled employees from all over the airport to help TSA agents with non-screening tasks like managing security lines and answering customer questions. They are not screening passengers.
Xavier, an airport employee, said that it’s commendable that other people have stepped up to help TSA employees during the busy Martin Luther King Jr. weekend – when an estimated 2.2 million people are expected to travel.
“They need as much help as they can possibly get, you know?” Xavier said. “Just having everything going on and stuff, you know, this is like the busiest airport in the world; so, having people just come through and help, that’s really needed.”
Even so, the idea of other employees stepping in to help TSA agents without training is something Xavier worried about.
“There’s always that threat, you know, having other people work this that aren’t technically with TSA,” he said.
Daniel, who is traveling from Atlanta to Los Angeles, was happy to see TSA agents getting some extra help managing the lines at airport checkpoints.
“It just shows there is good in people,” he said. “They want to help out and get people safe to where they need to be.”
TSA agents get special training to screen passengers – it involves several months of working at security checkpoints and learning the basics of airport operations. Then, they go to a two-week training camp in Glynco, Georgia.
TSA spokesman Tim Gregory said that what Delta is doing to help support TSA isn’t going unnoticed.
“When we’re in a situation such as the one right now - a partial government shutdown - it’s great to see them stepping up and helping out in many ways, not just at the checkpoint,” he said.
Since TSA workers are on the job without paychecks, airport officials are working to help provide food, set up pantries and helping in any way they can.