Delta adds 40 workers, carry-on crackdown to reduce MSP Airport lines

Delta Air Lines is adding 40 additional staff members for peak summer travel at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The added staff will include “baggage police” who will look for travelers pushing the limits of carry-on bag sizes.

Bill Lentsch, Delta senior vice president of airport customer service and operations, said cutting baggage fees to reduce delays is “not happening." Lentsch didn’t reveal how much the added staff will cost, but said “it‘s about doing the right thing.”

Travelers at MSP Airport have reported up to 70-minute waits to get through TSA screenings since the new checkpoint layout was implemented in February. TSA has previously blamed security delays on staffing levels, so Delta has offered to help TSA fix the problem with some of its resources, including:

Providing Delta staff at TSA checkpoints to help manage lines, bins and other non-screening tasks.

Lending expertise from its industrial engineers on checkpoint design for optimal flow and ease of movement.

Refurbishing the south checkpoint at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for a redesign of two checkpoint lanes before Memorial Day weekend.

Travelers at MSP Airport on Monday told Fox 9 they have noticed improvement in TSA wait times, but believe eliminating baggage fees would help reduce delays even further.

EXCLUSIVE - Emails reveal blame game over long lines at MSP