Will TSA Face a Staffing Shortage for Thanksgiving Travel Rush?

It’s looking like there will be a shortage of screeners at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport checkpoints during the busy Thanksgiving travel period this year, due to employees failing to meet the November 22 deadline for federal employees to be fully COVID-19 vaccinated.

Right now, only about 60 percent of TSA employees are at least partially vaccinated, and a little over four weeks remain for the rest to catch up. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management told the Los Angeles Times that federal employees who shirk the mandate will face discipline, including termination from the agency.

Last week, TSA Administrator David Pekoske told CNN that he’s “very hopeful” more employees will get vaccinated before the deadline and the agency won’t face a staffing shortage during one of the busiest travel times of the year.

TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein told the L.A. Times that the agency expects more employees to get inoculated in the weeks ahead and that it hopes, “the vast majority of TSA agents will be vaccinated,” by the deadline.

“At TSA, we are hosting employee town halls, sending broadcast emails, and posting details on the requirement in break rooms on how and where to upload documents for proof of vaccination status,” she said.

The spokesperson couldn’t comment on what the vaccination rate for screeners looks like compared with that of the overall TSA workforce.

With the deadline set for the Monday before Thanksgiving, there could hardly be a worse time for the TSA to potentially lose a sizeable chunk of its workforce. Pekoske did add that the TSA is developing contingency plans in the event that a shortage can’t be avoided.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer was the one who prompted the TSA to create a contingency plan in case a large portion of its employees go unvaccinated and have to be let go. He recommended that the agency expand the use of bomb-sniffing dogs to help keep screening lines moving along.

“Late last week, the TSA hinted at a potential real travel mess as Thanksgiving approaches,” Schumer said during a news conference on Sunday. “And that’s because they reported that 40% of their workforce remain unvaccinated from COVID-19.”

Airlines for America (A4A), the trade association that represents most major U.S. airlines, declined to speculate about the impact the approaching deadline for the federal vaccine mandate might have on Thanksgiving-time travel. It only supplied a statement that said, “We remain in routine communication with our federal partners to prioritize a safe, seamless travel experience.”