The closing of a lightly used but strategic security checkpoint Monday at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's main terminal sparked outrage among airport officials who are pushing to have it reopened.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it shuttered the skyway checkpoint linking the InterContinental Hotel to Terminal 1 on Monday due to low passenger volume. But the move comes at a time when the airport is ramping up for the Thanksgiving travel season, and after long security lines at MSP this summer generated much grumbling among the traveling public.
"TSA has not held up its end of the bargain," said Rick King, chairman of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), at Monday's commission meeting. He noted the MAC has spent $75 million on security measures at the airport since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, often at the behest of TSA officials.
More recently, the MAC shelled out $24 million to build the skyway checkpoint connecting the main terminal to the hotel, which opened last year. In addition to serving hotel guests, it also accommodated travelers with carry-on baggage who were dropped off at the hotel. Airport officials touted the checkpoint as a way for some passengers to avoid long security lines in the main terminal.
TSA spokeswoman Lorie Dankers said in a statement that the agency "will deploy its staffing resources to maximize the efficiency of screening operations to ensure full staffing at the busiest checkpoints at MSP."
While the agency says it has 658 full-time equivalent security officers at MSP — the maximum number of officers permitted — staffing levels have become a sore spot with MAC and elected officials. King said another 30 officers have been hired beyond that.
"It just doesn't make much sense with staff of 680 that you can't spare three officers" for the hotel checkpoint," he said.
Jim Graves, CEO of Graves Hospitality, which manages the hotel, said the checkpoint closure "is causing a lot of hardship and confusion for guests." The 300-room hotel has about an 80% occupancy rate, and has marketed its restaurant and spa services to travelers connecting through the Twin Cities, perks that will become more difficult now that security access is more restrictive, he said.