Paige pursues polite airport pat-downs with TSA ban

City Councilman Sean Paige can’t stop the new intimate pat-down searches at the Colorado Springs Airport, but he thinks he may have a way to ensure those searches are done with respect and a smile.

Paige on Monday plans to push for a change at the airport that would replace Transportation Security Administration screeners with private security workers, who he says can get the job done without “that TSA attitude.”

“If we can get better service and a little more personalized treatment and better respect for travelers going through the airport we should explore it,” Paige said Saturday after floating the idea in an e-mail to The Gazette.

See which airports have the advanced screening technology.

Federal airport screeners have been taking heat this month for new procedures that require them to touch passengers in intimate areas that were previously off-limits, including inner thighs and women’s breasts.

Paige, who hasn’t been subjected to the new search procedures, said he can understand the need for security, but the stone-faced administration of the search must change.

“The procedures will basically be the same but the attitude would be different,” Paige said. “I think people are very frustrated with the arrogant attitude they encounter going through airports.”

Paige said he fears the passenger frustration will only rise if TSA screeners unionize, a move that cleared a federal hurdle earlier this month.

The airport, a city-run enterprise, could legally make the change proposed by Paige. The budget implications haven’t been explored.

Paige will bring up his idea during a council meeting Monday after a presentation on the airport’s finances.

He also said he wants to know how many Colorado Springs passengers have complained about federal screeners and whether the local airport can avoid installing full-body scanners that see through passenger clothing to detect possible threats.

Any security change will affect a lot of passengers.

Nearly 76,000 people passed through security at the Colorado Springs Airport in September alone, according to a report from airport manager Mark Earle.

The airport is expecting a crush of passengers this week as travelers head out for the Thanksgiving holiday.