Contact: Rob Ostrander 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Tuesday, August 2, 2005

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kit Bond and Jim Talent today in letter to federal officials requested details about the government’s plan to reduce the number of federal security screeners at Lambert Airport by 20 percent.

“The safety and security of the thousands of passengers we represent passing through Lambert Airport are of paramount importance,” wrote Bond and Talent in a letter to the head of the federal Transportation Security Administration.

“We request a full accounting of the rationale for the reduction of more than 20 percent of the screeners at Lambert St. Louis International Airport. First and foremost, we need to understand fully any potential impact this reduction will have on the safety and security of the traveling public.”

Bond and Talent also asked how the ratio of screeners to embarking passengers at Lambert compared to the ratio of screeners to embarking passengers at airports which will see additional screeners, noting that Lambert's passenger departures were up 12 percent in May from the same month a year ago, and up 9.8 percent in June from a year ago.

“A reduction in screeners at a time when passenger departures are increasing will add to the amount of time passengers wait in line prior to screening,” wrote the Senators. “Customer service and passenger convenience are also tremendously important in ensuring that Lambert remains a viable gateway to and from St. Louis and the region.”

The Transportation Security Administration plans to reduce the number of screeners at Lambert to 347, down from the current staffing level of 440 screeners.