The Transportation Security Administration at Valley International Airport has hired three new screeners in anticipation of higher passenger numbers, airport officials say.
The new hires bring the number of screeners at VIA to a level above the TSA’s normal quota for Harlingen.
“That’s 5 percent over what their FTE (full-time equivalents) or what they’re allotted downstairs, and just in time for Spring Break and of course the onslaught of new seats in the market from Southwest Airlines,” Marv Esterly, director of aviation at VIA, told the airport board earlier this month.
Last week Southwest began adding flights to and from VIA, boosting their passenger offerings from four flights a day to seven daily, and preparing for eight flights per day in June.
In all, Southwest will add 82 percent seat capacity compared to its previous flight schedule.
