WASHINGTON (AP) – The Transportation Security Administration has ousted its head of security operations and put new leadership in charge of screening operations at a major international airport, but long checkpoint lines and travel headaches already pervading the busy summer travel season are likely to continue.
Kelly Hoggan was removed from his post as the agency’s top security official Monday and replaced by a former federal security director in Los Angeles and New York, Darby LaJoye.
Hoggan’s ouster and a new management team in charge of screening operations at Chicago O’Hare International Airport were announced Monday after a series of Capitol Hill hearings focused on allegations of agency mismanagement and growing concerns about airport wait times.
The issue came to a head in recent weeks when thousands of passengers in Chicago missed flights because of lengthy wait times.
But the management moves don’t appear to fix the primary problem: The TSA doesn’t have enough security screeners to quickly screen growing crowds of travelers and their sometimes overstuffed carry-on luggage.