HERNDON, Va. — The national “watch floor” of the Transportation Security Administration’s Security Operations Center is filled with everything you might expect in a highly secure nerve center — row after row of desks and computer monitors, giant screens showing things like flight data.
But the secretive facility that monitors airport security for the nation is also trying to help problem-solve your next trip.
The TSA’s Security Operations Center is home to a small group of social media workers who help travelers. They are the behind the @AskTSA Twitter account, and they answer questions 365 days a year.
The TSA said this was the federal government’s first Twitter account directly engaging with the public in real-time, year-round.
In addition to the TSA Twitter service, which was launched in 2015, travelers can reach workers through Facebook Messenger. Katherine Brown, who manages the TSA social media team, said the team receives 300 to 600 inquiries a day, and can respond to many questions within 15 minutes. She said they hope to sort out tougher issues in an hour at most.
Many of the questions are about allowable carry-on items — specifically food.
“This passenger tweeted us a picture of their Parmesan cheese,” said Brown.
“Dry cheese or hard cheeses are allowed in carry-on bags. Soft, spreadable cheeses are limited to 3.4 ounces or less when packed in carry-on bags,” she said.
Another traveler sent a picture of her needlepoint art and a question about scissors. She was told scissors, as well as knitting needles, less than four inches in length are allowed in carry-on bags.
The service also helps with lost items, identification requirements and passengers with medical issues.
Brown said one of their most popular services involved helping passengers with PreCheck statuses that weren’t being shown on their boarding passes.
She said this was usually the result of a booking error, in which case, she said, the TSA works to find the error, reach out to the airline and correct the problem.
