Traveling always presents an opportunity for observation, and my latest trip through the airport was no exception. While waiting for my flight, I struck up a conversation with two TSA employees who were on break. What they shared with me was eye-opening.
They spoke candidly about the challenges of security work and, more notably, the staggering turnover rate within TSA—hovering around 30% over an 18-month period. That’s an incredible amount of churn in any business, and it speaks volumes about both the nature of the job and the internal operations of the agency. Their work, as they described it, seemed monotonous—constantly searching for threats that rarely materialize, with little to no consistency in process or execution from one airport to the next.
This inconsistency is something I’ve long noticed. I travel through 25 to 30 airports across the U.S. every year, along with several international ones. What amazes me is how TSA’s procedures vary drastically from one location to another. Even as a TSA PreCheck traveler, I never know what to expect. Sometimes I need to remove my shoes; other times I don’t. Some airports require ID and a boarding pass; others rely solely on facial recognition. Occasionally, I receive a small card indicating my PreCheck status; other times, there’s no card at all. It’s a guessing game every time I go through security, and that lack of standardization is a serious inefficiency.
The chaos extends beyond TSA and into airport logistics. Take Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport as an example. With Terminal B closed for renovations, all passenger traffic has been diverted to Terminal C, which was already crowded. Instead of reopening Terminal E’s security checkpoint to relieve congestion, TSA continues to funnel everyone through an overburdened system. The result? Longer lines, more confusion, and inefficiency that could have been avoided with better planning.
But it’s not just the government that struggles with inefficiency—this problem is everywhere. After landing in Houston, I stopped at Whataburger with a colleague before heading to the office. We waited 20 minutes for two sandwiches and a Diet Coke. Fast food? Not so fast.
The same inefficiencies plague grocery stores. While retailers have ramped up security to combat shoplifting, they can’t seem to hire enough cashiers to keep checkout lines moving. Self-checkout was supposed to streamline the process, but instead, it has opened the door for theft. Many stores now employ people to check receipts at the door—an exercise in futility, as they barely glance at what’s in your cart. It reminds me of the old days at Sam’s Club, where employees would take a quick look at a 40-item receipt and wave you through. I always wondered if they were trained to spot missing items or if they just hoped people wouldn’t walk out with a new TV under their arm.
These inefficiencies paint a bigger picture. We live in a country that prides itself on innovation, automation, and making life more productive, yet operational disorganization is rampant. Whether it’s TSA, retail, or fast food, we seem to have lost the ability to streamline and optimize. Businesses and government agencies alike need to rethink how they operate, focusing on practical solutions rather than bureaucratic red tape.
Maybe TSA will see reforms in the coming years, maybe they won’t. But the broader issue of inefficiency isn’t going away anytime soon. It’s not just about government agencies—it’s about how businesses, big and small, are failing to prioritize effectiveness.
As always, just my observations. I’m sure I’m not alone in them. How about you? What do you think?
—H. Marc Helm
