AviationNew Airport security system to help special needs travelers
The Transportation Security Administration is training some of its employees to act as Passenger Support Specialists in order to help the disabled, people with medical condition, and people who are traveling with small children through the security process.
The Transportation Security Administration is training some of its employees to act as Passenger Support Specialists in order to help the disabled, people with medical condition, and people who are traveling with small children through the security process.
“It really makes their day to be treated with kindness and as a person, not a burden,” Kellie Sanders, a transportation security officer at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport who serves as one of the new specialists, told the Amarillo Globe News.
The specialists must go through four hours of training, including instruction on the civil rights of those with disabilities and medical conditions.
According to anAGN report, travelers can request assistance at a checkpoint, but TSA personnel will keep an eye out for those in need.
“A classic example is a woman with a baby in her arm and three toddlers behind her,” Jeff McCutchen, assistant federal security director for screening told AGN. “Another important aspect is they can call ahead and tell us what their need is. And if there is any private medical information, we’ll keep that confidential.”
People do not necessarily need to have a specific condition to request the service, but could just be having trouble figuring out the screening process.
“They don’t have to have any criteria,” Gladys Thias, a specialist in Amarillo toldAGN.
There are currently more than 3,000 specialists working in airports across the country and according to McCutchen, there will be at least one specialist on duty at all times at the Amarillo airport. A Huffington Post report says that the TSA will provide twenty-eight specialists at the Fort-Lauderdale –Hollywood International Airport
Tim Lewis, the federal security director of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, said the program is a service the TSA has been working on for a while.
“This is where we’ve been driving for a long time,” Lewis told the Post. “The TSA wants to provide world class security and world class customer service.”
The program serves as a compliment to the Wounded Warrior Project, which offers accelerated screenings for members of the U.S. military who are severely injured, which includes not having to remove shoes, hats or light jackets.
The number for the Passenger Support Specialist service is 855-787-2227.
