Iowa Congressman Leonard Boswell asked for some answers today from the people who lose your luggage. Iowa’s only Democratic Congressman, Boswell is a member of the House Aviation Subcommittee. Boswell says in 2005, some 30-Million bags were lost or stolen, and 200-thousand were never reunited with their owners. He says it’s happened to him, and a lot of people he’s talked to, but the hearing today (Wednesday) wasn’t to accuse but to see what can be done to improve the situation.
The subcommittee hears from representatives of the federal Department of Transportation, the Transportation Security Administration, and the airlines themselves. Boswell called it a “good discussion,” and said the participants agreed to take some steps to improve their handling of travelers’ possessions.
He says they’re going to pay better attention to staffing levels, especially going into the peak travel time of the summer months. The TSA’s promised to report back to the subcommittee on its probe of employee theft and what it’s doing to install better monitoring devices.
The D-O-T’s also agreed to refine the reporting process for consumers who’ve lost their baggage. Boswell says his staff’s putting a link on h is website for travelers who’ve lost luggage, offering tips on what they can do about it.
Related web sites:
Leonard Boswell’s website