Busiest days ever? TSA chief says they are ready for holidays
The Transportation Security Administration is fully staffed and ready for more record-breaking crowds this holiday season. That's the word from TSA administrator David Pekoske, who spoke to TPG in a wide-ranging interview about the future of the TSA as well as his own future under the incoming Trump administration.
TSA expects the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday following Thanksgiving to be the busiest days. The Sunday after Thanksgiving could potentially be the busiest day ever at TSA security checkpoints, with more than 3 million passengers screened. "The Sunday following Thanksgiving is historically our busiest day of the year, so it wouldn't surprise me that that's the case," Pekoske said.
The 3 million number has only been reached once before — July 7, 2024. In fact, 10 of the TSA's busiest days ever have come in the past six months. The Federal Aviation Administration believes Tuesday, Nov. 26, will be the busiest day of the year.
Pekoske said TSA is fully staffed and ready for the rush. "Working alongside our airport and airline partners and the FAA, we have optimized staffing and will do our best to maintain our wait time standards: less than 10 minutes for TSA PreCheck lanes and less than 30 minutes for standard screening lanes."
Increasing travel demand
When I asked Pekoske why there was so much demand, he said:
"I think that people just really want to travel now. And maybe it's a bit of 'Hey, I couldn't for a couple of years. And so I'm gonna travel' ... or maybe folks that hadn't traveled much in the past began to and said, 'Hey, this is a pretty good way to go. It's very convenient.' The other part is, there's been significant investment across the aviation infrastructure. I mean, it's hard to go somewhere and not see something going on in the airport, whether it's a renovation of a terminal or a new terminal being built."
In fact, he pointed to massive new investments in airports like LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and ongoing improvements at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Pekoske got a look at the improvements being made at JFK's new Terminal 1 and the new Terminal 6 as they are undergoing construction.
"And these are incredible spaces, I mean, you know, high, high ceilings, lots of light, and just a very inviting atmosphere. People, when they see that, appreciate the infrastructure investments," he said.
Pekoske pointed not only to the work TSA has done but to the airport experience as a whole — from parking to check-in, TSA checkpoints to gate agents.
"We have all focused a lot on the customer experience, and we have all collectively really tried to make sure that we look at it as a continuum as much as we can. And so there's a lot more coordination over the past couple of years. As a result of some work we've done pre-pandemic, but really it blossomed as we saw these incredible volumes of people returning to air travel," he said. "So I think people are seeing the touch, if you will. The interaction with every employee in that spectrum is much more positive, perhaps, than it has been in the past."
When I mentioned the uptick in travel interest among young people, Pekoske agreed that social media had helped increase consumer appetite for travel. He also pointed to a desire among the public for more premium travel experiences.
"There are a lot of travelers who in the past would have stayed in economy. And what they're doing is ... upgrading to business or to first class ... you know they're willing to pay for it now," he said.
What can you bring through security checkpoints?
Questions we get asked all the time at TPG: What items can go in your carry-on bags and through screening checkpoints? Can you bring a turkey? What about cranberry sauce?
TSA has set up various ways for you to ask your most burning questions, including on social media, through the TSA website and via text messages.
"We've worked hard on easy ways for people to understand what they can bring, and one of those ways is simply to text us. And the text is super easy to remember: It's 'AskTSA.' And you know you can say, 'Hey, can I bring a turkey?' And literally within a second or so, you'll get a reply back as to whether you can or you cannot," he said.
"We really like people to use this tool as much as they feel comfortable with using it, because it doesn't just apply during Thanksgiving and Christmas," Pekoske said. "It applies in the summer when we have our sustained big volumes over six, seven, eight weeks."
He also noted that you can search the website to find out what's allowed in carry-on and checked bags.
"It will tell you what you can bring as a carry-on and also what you can bring as a checked item, because sometimes people have a question of 'Well, hey, can I bring, let's say, cranberry sauce in a can?' and the answer is, 'No, you can't in the checkpoint, assuming it's not frozen, right, but you can in your checked bag.' And so that might give people an easy option that they can see in writing on an official webpage that that's permitted," he said.
For the record, that's no to cranberry sauce in your carry-on (unless it's frozen solid). Pies and turkeys? Yes, they can go through the security checkpoints with you.
"However, if you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it, and it's larger than 3.4 ounces, then it should go in a checked bag," according to the TSA.
Will Pekoske stay on under a second Trump term?
Pekoske told TPG he would like to stay on under the second Trump administration. He said he loves the role. He was nominated by then-President Donald Trump in 2017. Pekoske is currently serving a five-year term that doesn't officially end until 2027, but the newly elected president could ask him to step down before his term is scheduled to end.
Pekoske has the support of many aviation and industry leaders, but his future is now in the hands of President-elect Trump.
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