Going Green Has Never Been Easier!
Nov 19, 2008 9:34 pm US/Eastern
TSA Names MIA Airport Of The Year
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Tight but polite security at Miami International Airport has led to MIA being named Airport of the Year by the Transportation Security Administration.
During a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, TSA officials said the airport continuously implements the highest quality of airport security while maintaining exceptional courtesy to passengers.
"We know we live in a very dangerous world, but it's not going to stop us from living and traveling," traveler Margaret Barrett told
CBS4's Sharrie Williams.
Barrett is one of the 34 million passengers who pass through MIA every year. With so many passengers, safety is always on her mind.
Transportation Security Administration workers at MIA are also aware of safety and security threats. Over the past year, the agency heightened its defense details tremendously and for that, Miami International Airport was named Airport of the Year by TSA.
"We've created an environment that's hostile to the bad guys," explained MIA federal security director Mark Hatfield.
Hatfield's team of 14-hundred security personnel have beefed up the number of random checks performed each day.
Other recently added security amenities include an in-line baggage system and new checkpoints in the South Terminal and at Concourses C & D. It has also installed Advanced Technology X-rays and Whole Body Imaging systems.
Joseph Archbold is traveling through MIA on his way to Panama. He says safety is a top concern. "It's very important I think because you don't want to feel vulnerable when you travel. You don't know the places in some countries when you travel and you want to feel safe where you are."
Security measures played a role in MIA earning the top honor but so did customer service. A year ago, it took an average of an hour to go through security but that is no longer the case.
"Right now, we are getting 90-percent of passengers through this airport in ten minutes or less," said Hatfield.
There are always things to improve on. TSA realizes better services need to be in place for families traveling with children or loved ones in wheelchairs, which is why a special family lane is opening at MIA, but for the millions who fly the friendly skies, safety remains the focus.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us, the threat continues to evolve so we have to evolve," said Hatfield.
Miami International Airport is ranked third in international passengers among airports in the United States.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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