ST. THOMAS — Passenger screening delays caused some passengers to miss their flights at the Cyril E. King Airport (CEKA) on Wednesday, Virgin Islands Port Authority Assistant Executive Director Damian Cartwright has announced. A temporary arrangement of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) caused hours-long delays for passengers entering the screening area, Mr. Cartwright said. TSA employee shortages and manual screening of passengers in the temporary area further delayed the process.
TSA was relocated from a smaller area of the terminal that had machines to allow for repairs this week, and was moved to the entrance of pre-clearance area where screening was being done manually. Mr. Cartwright said the relocation was discussed with and approved by TSA officials prior to the move and that the Port Authority was assured the arrangement would not create any major complications.
“Some delays were anticipated and we advised travelers to arrive as early as possible for their flights,” Mr. Cartwright said. “It is unfortunate that people missed their flights and on behalf of the Port Authority, I sincerely apologize to all who were affected. CEKA was seriously damaged during the hurricanes in September and we have been able to reopen the terminal while we make repairs. However, in an active facility temporary relocations of services are necessary for us to facilitate these repairs and simultaneously allow travel.”
The assistant director advised the public to arrive three to four hours prior to their flights to allow enough time for passenger screening. The temporary arrangement, he said, should last about eight more days before TSA is relocated to their normal area and utilize machines to scan travelers.
“VIPA plans to be able to resume normal operations by mid-December 2017,” Mr. Cartwright said.
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