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With travel concerns rising, are you rethinking flights?
With concerns growing over TSA staffing at Logan Airport and broader air travel safety, tell us if you’re worried about upcoming trips.
Air travel typically comes with a baseline level of stress: getting to the airport on time, making it through security, and hoping nothing gets delayed. Some recent events, however, may be adding a new layer of uncertainty for travelers.
At Logan Airport, that uncertainty has been fueled by concerns over TSA staffing as the partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown drags on. While the airport has so far avoided the long security lines seen elsewhere, union leaders warn that missed paychecks are taking a toll on workers and could eventually lead to delays. Speaking to Boston 25, Mike Gayzagian, president of AFGE Local 2617, warned the staffing strain could become more visible as the busy summer travel season approaches. He added that morale is “very low” and that “people are full of anxiety over what’s going to happen if the checks don’t come through on Friday.”
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That anxiety has grown since Sunday’s deadly crash at LaGuardia Airport, where an Air Canada jet collided with an airport fire truck while landing, killing both pilots. Preliminary findings, according to The New York Times, suggest the collision involved an overlapping series of failures tied to staffing and technology. Those failures included a fire truck that lacked a transponder, a warning system that did not generate an alert, and controllers handling multiple duties in the tower.
With spring break approaching and many Massachusetts residents preparing to travel out of Logan, we want to hear from you: Are you concerned about upcoming air travel plans? Are you reconsidering flights for the immediate future? Let us know in the form below or e-mail us at [email protected]. Your response may be featured in an upcoming Boston.com article.
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