The Transportation Security Administration faced harsh criticism from members of Congress Thursday over poor training, high attrition rates, mismanagement long lines.
The agency, hit with 18,000 traveler complaints a year, isn't doing much better with its own employees, 30 percent of whom quit within their first year.
TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger is asking Congress for more money to beef up manpower at key airports, some of which like New York's JFK and Laguardia, are threatening to fire the TSA and hire private security.
"We currently cannot staff effectively across the system to the peak volume periods," Neffenger testified.
Neffenger says flyer volume is increasing exponentially, as is the threat level, and suggests passengers aren't helping the problem.
"It's the carry-on baggage that is one of the major slow down points in a check point," Neffenger explained.
