By John Dempsey, WLS-AM 890 News
(CHICAGO) Major headaches for travelers at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports over the weekend.
Because of a shortage of TSA security screeners, it took travelers two hours or more to get through security.
At O’Hare, hundreds of travelers had to sleep at the airport on cots because they missed their flights.
This is happening because the Transportation Security Administration laid off workers, wrongly assuming that more Americans would sign up for the TSA Pre-Check program.
That program allows travelers to go through security lines more quickly, without removing shoes, belts, laptops, or displaying liquids.
However the program costs $85 for five years, and requires applicants to submit fingerprints and undergo criminal background checks.
To address the current problem, the TSA is planning on hiring 768 new screeners, starting next month.
If you would like to sign up for the pre-check program, go to http://www.tsa.gov.
