US Government Failings on Travel Could Cost Economy $71 Billion, Travel Group Asserts

Demand for travel remains robust but numerous inefficiencies plague the experience and are causing people to avoid trips, the head of the U.S. Travel Association said, placing blame squarely on inadequate federal attention and funding.

Air travelers plan to skip, on average, two trips within the next year owing to the fear of flight delays and cancellations and “airport processing inefficiencies,” U.S. Travel Association Chief Executive Geoff Freeman said Wednesday on a media briefing call. Those avoided trips will mean $71 billion in losses to the economy, he said.

“We can’t give the traveler reasons to avoid traveling and that’s what we’re doing today,” said Freeman whose non-profit group represents hundreds of hotel groups, airlines, tour operators and travel agents.

The association says that travelers in many countries wait more than 400 days for a U.S. visa, while applications for a U.S. passport can take up to 11 weeks, and up to six months for Global Entry approval. The Customs and Border Protection agency is 1,700 officers below its need, the Travel Association said.

The State Department says it received a record 24 million applications for passport books and cards in the past year amid a surge of Americans traveling internationally.

The TSA has been beset by attrition higher than other federal agencies and needs more than $5 billion to hire additional screening officers, at competitive pay rates, according to the association. In July, the TSA offered a new compensation plan to align employees with pay that’s comparable to other federal workers.

U.S. airport screening hasn’t evolved since the Transportation Security Administration was created, following the 2001 terrorist attacks. Other nations have evolved security protocols such that people don’t need to doff their shoes and belts, or remove drinks from their carry-on baggage, Freeman said.

“I think it’s only a matter of time before people ask the question, ‘Isn’t there a better way more than two decades on from those horrific events?’” Freeman said. “Travelers aren't asking for the moon here. They’re asking for the same types of efficiencies that have already been adopted elsewhere in the world.”