Office of Sen. Moran
WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), member of the Senate Commerce Committee, received unanimous support Wednesday of an amendment he offered during a Senate Commerce Committee Hearing markup of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill to require TSA screening at small airports.
Moran talked about the situation at the Salina Regional Airport as an example of the need.
The Moran amendment reflects the text of the TSA Fairness Act (S. 2549) – bipartisan Senate legislation introduced last month. This amendment would require the TSA to provide security screening services – one of the agency’s core responsibilities – at any U.S. airport that has been without commercial service since 2013 but has since received a commitment from a commercial air carrier to resume service.
On April 1, 2016, Great Lakes Airlines will begin 12 weekly nonstop round trips from Salina Regional Airport (KSLN) to Denver International Airport (DIA). However, last month TSA rejected the Salina Airport Authority’s written request for federalized security screening. Based on the 30-seat aircraft Great Lakes will use to service this route, among other factors, KSLN estimates between 18,000 to 20,000 passengers will fly this route annually, often connecting in Denver to flights around the country. But without TSA screening services at KSLN, passengers from Salina would not enjoy secure and efficient access to DIA’s main terminal, where after finally passing through TSA’s security checkpoint many would fail to reach their connections in time.
The FAA Reauthorization bill (S. 2658) is expected to be brought to the full Senate for consideration in April and reauthorizes the FAA through September 2017.
Highlights from Sen. Moran’s remarks may be found below, along with links to the video:
“In recent times, a number of airlines have reduced their service in many instances claiming a pilot shortage, an inability to maintain satisfactory service and from time to time, as has happened in…Salina, that air carrier has withdrawn service, leaving the community without air service.
“Here’s the new challenge: the TSA that was there previously screening passengers for the service that was commercially available has declined to return to the community to provide passenger screening because of the gap in service. So this amendment…would require the TSA to provide screening services so that…commercial service can occur, so that passengers who fly on regional aircraft originating from small communities across the country still have the benefit of the safety that is provided by passenger screening.
“As…rural America… struggle[s] to maintain commercial service, if we are successful in returning commercial service only to find the TSA no longer is willing to provide the service, it will have been a false victory and that commercial service will once again disappear.”