TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

The agency tasked with securing America's airports is testing the use of facial recognition technology at a number of airports across the country.

Congress is taking another look at creating a new no-fly list for unruly passengers.

Federal authorities say a Pennsylvania man admits packing explosive materials, fuses and a lighter into a suitcase he checked for a commercial flight to Florida.

Last year saw a record number of guns intercepted at airport checkpoints across the country.

Last year saw a record number of guns intercepted at airport checkpoints across the country.

Power was briefly knocked out at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, leaving many passengers at one of the world’s busiest airports in the dark and halting security checks.

Orlando tops list of Florida locations, TSA says

A sneaking snake was stopped at security at Tampa International Airport.

The federal agency tasked with airport security says so far this year officers have stopped a record number of guns going through airport security.

The Transportation Security Administration is raising the fine for people caught with a firearm in their carry-on bag.

Transportation Security Administration agents at the Dane County Regional Airport found a dog in a backpack during an x-ray bag scan in December.

Don’t accuse the TSA of catnapping on the job.

A commercial flight from Cincinnati to Tampa was diverted to Atlanta after a disruptive passenger was seen with a box cutter.

Transportation Security Administration agents recently intercepted a raw whole chicken with a handgun shoved inside, according to social media post.

Air travelers are finally getting a break on fares.

The Transportation Security Administration, their contractor Idemia and airport leaders at Orlando International Airport announced a new plan Tuesday to try to make the enrollment process for TSA pre-check easier and faster.

The Transportation Security Administration said it’s on track to stop a record-setting number of guns at checkpoints across the country in 2022.

The fireworks are still a few days away, but travel for the July Fourth weekend is off to a booming start.

The fireworks are still a few days away, but travel for the July Fourth weekend is off to a booming start.

Airlines are canceling more than 1,500 flights across the U.S. in one of the worst days yet in the summer travel season.

The Transportation Security Administration said the agency is preparing to handle its “busy” summer travel season as it expects passenger volume will “match and may occasionally exceed” pre-pandemic levels.

The people who screen your bag at the airport are expecting big crowds this summer.

Flyers looking to join the Transportation Security Administration’s Precheck program can make a one-stop-shop of the whole process at an enrollment event taking place later this month at Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB).

U.S. health officials are restating their recommendation that Americans wear masks on planes, trains and buses, despite a court ruling last month that struck down a national mask mandate on public transportation.

The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs.

A poll finds that a majority of people in the United States continue to support a mask requirement for people traveling on airplanes and other shared transportation.

Disney World has dropped all mask mandates, according to its website on Tuesday.

After about two years of masking up on public transportation, wearing face coverings is now optional for travelers.

A federal judge in Florida struck down a national mask mandate on airplanes and mass transit Monday, and airlines and airports swiftly began repealing their face covering requirements.

Orlando International Airport is in the state’s lead as Florida airports continue to rank in the nation’s top 10 every year for where passengers are most often stopped at checkpoints with a gun.

The Biden administration has announced it will extend through May 3 the nationwide mask requirement for airplanes and public transit as it monitors an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

The Biden administration says U.S. airport security procedures will become more gender-neutral.

After the last couple years of living through a global pandemic, it seems as though most of us are itching to get in some good travel time.

Federal officials are extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation through mid-April while taking steps that could lead to lifting the rule.

There has been a surge in guns being discovered at airport checkpoints.

Delta Air Lines has told the U.S. Department of Justice that any person convicted of a disruption on board a flight should be put on the national “no fly” list.

Newly released video shows a security officer leaping over conveyor belt rollers and saving a 2-month-old boy who stopped breathing at a New Jersey airport security checkpoint.

The Transportation Security Administration issued a statement Monday, reminding holiday travelers that you can travel with your holiday food, but some things can go in carry-on luggage, and some things need to be checked.

Thanksgiving travel season comes to an end for 2021.

Thanksgiving travelers across the U.S. are flying in record numbers.

Authorities say a passenger awaiting a bag search at the Atlanta airport’s main security checkpoint reached in the bag and grabbed a firearm, and it went off, causing chaos among travelers.

The number of airline passengers traveling for Thanksgiving this year is expected to rebound to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, but the Transportation Security Administration says it is ready to handle the surge.

If you're flying on a plane or taking a train, be ready to keep wearing that face mask for a few more months.

Air travel in the United States hit another pandemic-era record over the weekend as vacationers jammed airports, but shares of airlines, cruise lines, hotels and almost anything else related to travel are tumbling on growing concerns about highly contagious variants of coronavirus.

Summer travel continues to pick up and the number of people traveling by air hit a new pandemic-era record Friday.

If you found yourself stranded at an airport Sunday, blame demand.

The airline industry’s recovery from the pandemic passed a milestone as more than 2 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints on Friday for the first time since early March 2020.

The Biden administration says it is moving to increase the pay and union rights for security screeners at the nation’s airports.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says people traveling for Memorial Day weekend should be patient because there will be long lines at U.S. airports.

The federal government will issue cybersecurity regulations in the coming days for U.S. pipeline operators following a ransomware attack that led to fuel shortages across much of the Eastern Seaboard.

More and more Americans are taking to the skies again.

If you're traveling over the Memorial Day weekend, expect lots of company.

Mother's Day weekend meant bigger crowds at U.S. airports.

The federal government is extending the requirement that travelers wear face masks on planes, trains and buses.

All rights reserved)Travelers stand in line at a TSA security checkpoint at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Temperatures dropped into the single digits this week as snow shut down air travel and grocery stores. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)Anyone who has flown recently is in good company as Sunday set a new record with the highest number of air travelers since the coronavirus pandemic began. AdClose to 10 million people have flown in the last week as spring break continues for students across the nation. The trend is worrying health experts because only 15.5% of the population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)Across the United States, air travel is recovering more quickly from the depths of the pandemic, and it is showing up in longer airport security lines and busier traffic on airline websites. "Our last three weeks have been the best three weeks since the pandemic hit, and each week has been better than the one prior,” American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said Monday. However, the airlines still have far to go before travel fully returns to pre-pandemic levels. Since the pandemic hit, air travel has picked up a few times — mostly around holidays — only to drop back down. The airline said people are booking leisure trips to beach and mountain destinations but business travel is still lagging.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University issued a quarantine order for all of its undergraduates effective Saturday night due to a coronavirus outbreak caused by students who attended recruitment parties, the school said. The university said in a statement that all undergraduate students will be forced to stay-in-place until at least March 21. Suspension or dismissal from the school are potential punishments for “flagrant or repeat violators.”Over the past week, the school has reported more than 180 positive coronavirus cases among students. AdItaly has now tallied some 3.2 million cases in the pandemic. The COVAX alliance aims to share COVID-19 vaccines with more than 90 lower and middle-income nations.

FILE - In this June 10, 2020 file photo, Transportation Security Administration agents process passengers at the south security checkpoint at Denver International Airport in Denver. Federal safety officials are investigating people who took part in last week's riot at the U.S. Capitol to decide whether they belong on the federal no-fly list. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)Air travel had its busiest weekend in more than a month. Transportation Security Administration data shows more than 4 million people have passed through airport security since Thursday. AdAirlines have been concerned the CDC might mandate a negative COVID-19 test before any travel, but the agency says it is not considering that at this time.

Federal safety officials are investigating people who took part in last week's riot at the U.S. Capitol to decide whether they belong on the federal no-fly list. The assessments are one of several steps federal agencies are taking to increase security before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next week. The assessments could result in rioters being added to the federal no-fly list, the person said. The FBI said earlier this week it was considering adding Capitol rioters to the federal no-fly list but stopped short of saying that individuals were being scrutinized. Airlines and Washington-area airports also have promised tighter security after last week’s riot at the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.

Administrative worker Sander Edmondson, left, hands a COVID-19 testing kit to a woman at a testing site in Los Angeles, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Here’s what’s happening Monday with the pandemic in the U.S.:THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY— A huge study of another COVID-19 vaccine candidate is getting underway Monday as states continue to roll out scarce supplies of the nation’s first shots. Some 30,000 volunteers are needed to prove if this vaccine — a different kind than its Pfizer and Moderna competitors — really works and is safe. — Homicides in Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and other U.S. cities have topped 2019 numbers as violence surged during the coronavirus pandemic. ___Find AP’s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)BEIJING — Authorities in China’s northeastern port city of Dalian are testing millions of residents after seven new coronavirus cases were reported there in the last 24 hours. It has a deal to secure up to 100 million doses of the potential vaccine produced by AstraZeneca. Koca said the first shipment of three million doses of CoronaVac would be shipped to Turkey on Sunday and arrive Monday. He said Turkey could get 4.5 million doses until the end of March and would have the option buy up to 30 million doses. Indonesia has reported nearly 700,000 COVID-19 cases, the largest caseload in Southeast Asia and second in Asia only to India’s 10.1 million confirmed cases.

ORLANDO, Fla. – A Transportation Security Administration officer cut his coffee break short recently to help save a passenger who was found unresponsive at Orlando International Airport. Soon thereafter a Delta employee who is a certified first responder joined Ordenana in performing life-saving measures. “Although I do not know this man, never met this man before, I had tremendous compassion and empathy for him. “A single act of kindness throws roots in all directions and the roots spring up and make new trees,” he said. A single and simple act of kindness can make someone’s day and the power to change someone’s life.

The Transportation Security Administration screened at least 1 million people on four of the last 10 days through Sunday. That's still half the crowd recorded last year at airports, when more than 2 million people were counted per day. With new reported cases of coronavirus spiking across the country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had issued a warning against Thanksgiving travel just a week before the holiday. It's unclear whether the pleas of experts like Fauci had any effect on travel and large gatherings at Thanksgiving. On Monday, JetBlue Airways said “booking trends remain volatile,” and a recovery in travel demand will be uneven into next year.

ORLANDO, Fla. – It appears Americans are starting to travel again after the coronavirus pandemic ravaged the industry. The Transportation Security Administration said airport passenger has hit a six-month high. According to the agency, more than 984,000 people passed through U.S. checkpoints on Sunday. That is significantly low, however, compared to the 2.5 million travelers reported on the same day in 2019. The TSA says checkpoint traffic hit its low on April 14. when 87,000 travelers passed through U.S. checkpoints.

Published: September 24, 2020, 7:38 am Updated: September 24, 2020, 7:47 amORLANDO, Fla. – A passenger is facing charges after deputies say he tried to sneak a gun through a security checkpoint at Orlando International Airport. Investigators say German Espinosa, 29, was carrying a backpack with a 9mm firearm and several bullets inside it. Deputies say a airport security screener made the discovery after putting Epinosa’s bag through an X-ray machine. Investigators say Espinosa did not have a permit to carry a concealed firearm. Espinosa was booked into the Orange County Jail and has since been released.

(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)It was a busy holiday weekend for air travel. The Transportation Security Administration says it screened almost a million people on Friday, a record high since the pandemic began. In comparison, they saw double that number the year before. The TSA say they saw less people on Saturday, only about half a million people traveled that day.

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)With air traffic nearing a five-month high, airport security is finding guns in passenger carry-on bags at three times the rate recorded before the pandemic. There has been a significant increase in loaded guns at checkpoints, said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. Last year, 4,432 guns were found in carry-on bags, or about 12.1 per day, and 87% were loaded. TSA's public appeal to follow gun rules came the same day that it reported screening 831,789 people on Sunday. It was the first time checkpoint traffic in U.S. airports has topped 800,000 since March 17.

The top TSA official in Kansas, Jay Brainard, says the TSAs actions amount to gross mismanagement." The special counsel has ordered TSA's parent agency, the Homeland Security Department, to conduct an investigation. Brainard filed his whistleblower complaint on June 3, and the special counsel on Thursday ordered the Homeland Security Department to investigate the allegations. By law, the special counsel only takes that step when it believes there is a substantial likelihood of wrongdoing. The special counsel will review Homeland Securitys findings and issue a report to the White House and Congress.

ORLANDO, Fla. Chief Executive Phil Brown released a statement Wednesday saying the governors statement noting 260 workers test positive for COVID-19 at Orlando International Airport is incorrect. Ron DeSantis said those workers tested positive for the coronavirus after nearly 500 employees were tested. [RELATED: 260 workers test positive for COVID-19 at Orlando International Airport, governor says]According to Browns statement, of the 500 airport workers tested for coronavirus, only two had positive results. Another 128 people that tested positive were not airport employees but were traceable connections to the workers that tested positive for COVID-19. For clarification, the two figures together mean 260 people tested positive for COVID-19 had some connection to OIA whether a visitor, traveler or worker.

She then boarded a Delta flight bound for Atlanta by pretending to be a wheelchair passenger, according to a TSA report. That morning, the woman presented a JetBlue baggage receipt to a TSA agent checking boarding passes and IDs at the east terminal entrance. She lined up with wheelchair passengers during the pre-boarding process and went around them when the gate agent scanned their boarding passes. She entered the jet bridge and a gate agent asked if she'd been scanned, the report said. I assumed she was with the wheelchair passenger and then allowed her to board," the gate agent told investigators.

ORLANDO, Fla. It was a busy week across Florida for TSA officers who said they intercepted 12 guns state-wide in the last nine days. According to a news release, one gun was intercepted each day at the Orlando International Airport on both Wednesday and Thursday. Ten other guns were intercepted from passengers going through security checkpoints in Miami, Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale, Tamps, Panama City and Ft. Walton Beach. TSA officials said nine men and three women between the ages of 22 and 45, face a civil penalty from the agency that may exceed $13,000, regardless of whether they were arrested by local police. The diligence of our officers during these trying times exemplifies their dedication to their mission to keep travelers safe every day of the year.

Five restaurants continue to operate with enhanced off-premise service only, while nine restaurants remain temporarily closed. Transactions at fast food restaurants were down 17% the week of May 24, while transactions at sit-down chains were down 49%. CENTRAL GOVERNMENTS & BANKS: Spains national statistics office said that it received zero international tourists in April. That compares with 7 million tourists that spent 7 billion euros ($7.8 billion) in Spain in the prior-year period. Istanbuls 15th century Grand Bazaar, museums, gyms, child care centers and nurseries, were among other venues allowed to resume operations.

ORLANDO, Fla. – A third Transportation Security Administration agent working at Orlando International Airport has tested positive for coronavirus, TSA officials confirmed in a statement. The two agents tested positive after the first Orlando TSA agent became ill with the deadly virus. “TSA confirms today that two additional Transportation Security Officers who work at Orlando International Airport have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. [RELATED: Map shows which airports where TSA officers have tested positive for coronavirus]Only one of the two agents worked in the same area as the first agent who tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Across the country, 17 TSA agents have tested positive thus far, four of whom are in Florida.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Transportation Security Administration has posted a map of TSA officers who have tested positive for coronavirus. CLICK HERE FOR MAP OF TSA OFFICERS WHO HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUSAs of March 20, 15 different TSA officers have tested positive for coronavirus, according to TSA. Two Orlando airport TSA workers have tested positive. Two different screening officers at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport tested positive in March. Any employee or traveler who believes they may have been in contact with a TSA officer who tested positive should consult their healthcare provider.

A Transportation Security Officer at Orlando International Airport has received an initial positive test for the coronavirus, according to a spokesperson with the Transportation Security Administration. They also said extensive cleaning has been done where that officer worked. "We have one officer who tested positive at [Orlando International Airport] and that they're doing everything they can to check and see who she worked with," she said. According to officials, the TSA worker was a screening officer at checkpoint West. A record 50 million passengers passed through Orlando International Airport in 2019 and each and every passenger has to make it through being checked at a security checkpoint.

ORLANDO, Fla. – A government watchdog agency has found airports nationwide have enhanced security in public areas such as ticket counters, baggage claims, and restaurants in recent years. But the U.S. Government Accountability Office believes more should be done to protect patrons before they pass through airport security checkpoints. The GAO examined security procedures in public areas of six airports including Orlando International Airport and Orlando Sanford International Airport. The study was conducted to assess actions taken by the Transportation Security Administration following two fatal shootings that occurred in public areas of airports. Enhanced law enforcement patrols and canine teams deployed throughout public areas to provide a visible deterrent against potential attacks.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Transportation Security Administration said Sunday it has stopped allowing employees to use the China-owned video app TikTok to create social media posts for the agency after the Senate’s top Democrat raised concerns about potential national security issues. Schumer also cited a Department of Homeland Security policy prohibiting TikTok on agency devices. He also noted in the letter that Chinese laws compel companies to cooperate with China’s government and intelligence collection. Over the past few months, the agency has posted a number of videos reshared on other social media platforms such as Twitter, which have amassed hundreds of thousands of views. The agency said it never directed viewers to TikTok or published content directly to the platform, despite videos reposted on other TSA social media accounts having the TikTok logo in the bottom of the screen.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Two Orlando International Airport travelers made the Transportation Security Administration’s weekly review of confiscated items and that’s not a good thing. Earlier this month, TSA agents discovered two high-capacity magazines hidden in a stuffed baby toy. “Officers called a bag check on the toy after undergoing X-ray screening,” according to the TSA post. “Thankfully, the ammunition was loaded backward.”TSA agents discovered this firearm during a pat down at the Orlando Airport security checkpoint. Between Nov. 4 and Nov. 17, agents discovered 205 firearms from passenger carry-on bags, 176 were loaded, according to TSA.

ORLANDO, Fla. – A flight attendant arrested Thursday for bringing a gun through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at Orlando International Airport told officers it was a mistake, records show. He was arrested on charges of carrying a concealed firearm and carrying a firearm in a place prohibited by law. Frontier Airlines officials said they suspended the flight attendant and were investigating the matter. “The safety and security of all passengers and crew members are uncompromising priorities at Frontier Airlines and we have a zero tolerance policy for any violation of law or security protocols,” Frontier Airlines said in a statement. According to TSA, this was the 81st gun found at the airport in 2019.