A TSA officer verifies the identity of a man at a checkpoint at Orlando International Airport.
Paul Hennessy | SOPA images | Getty Images
The Transportation Security Administration said on Friday that it is evaluating hundreds of people to determine whether they should be prevented from flying, as it increases security before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20.
“The TSA is currently processing hundreds of names with law enforcement agencies for a thorough risk assessment,” said TSA administrator David Pekoske in a statement. “Our intelligence and verification professionals are working diligently, 24 hours a day, to ensure that those who may pose a threat to our aviation industry undergo improved screening or are prevented from boarding an aircraft.”
TSA said it is also increasing the number of Federal Air Marshals on some flights, random gate scans and more security teams and canine explosives detection. The number of employees at some train stations is also increasing.
The additional measures come after the deadly riot at the United States Capitol last week and a series of flight interruptions, some of them politically motivated.
After the riot, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents some 50,000 cabin crew members on more than a dozen airlines, raised security concerns about “mob behavior” on some flights to Washington DC this week past and said that people who participated in the riot should be banned from flying.
The FAA has promised that it will adopt a zero-tolerance policy for undisciplined flight behavior and will fine them up to $ 35,000.
Airlines and airports are also increasing security. Major US airlines are banning passengers from checking weapons on flights to the Washington DC area from this weekend to next week. American Airlines is suspending alcohol sales on flights, while Alaska Airlines is limiting the number of tickets it sells to the city.