News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena County Regional Airport Manager Steve Smigelski shows off some of the rules and regulations that Transportation Security Administration employees monitor. The airport in Alpena doesn’t have a shortage of TSA employees, but some airports around the country have seen travelers have long wait-times because they are short staffed.

ALPENA — Many airports around the country are struggling to maintain a full stable of Transportation Security Administration employees, but so far the Alpena County Regional Airport isn’t having an issue with staffing.

Employees for the TSA screen passengers and their luggage before boarding, but some airports need additional help, and are using incentives to lure in new employees.

Alpena County Regional Airport Manager Steve Smigelski said, so far, in Alpena, there hasn’t been an employee shortage and there are enough TSA agents to move the line of people efficiently and safely.

He said, like other airports, there was a fear that the TSA could lose employees because of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate implemented by President Joe Biden, but on Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the president’s mandate, which Smigelski feels will lead to more TSA employees continuing to work.

“We are at full strength, and the mandate really didn’t affect us here,” he said. “We’re doing good.”

A full complement of employees at the Alpena airport has kept things busy for many months.

Last month many people purchased tickets and it helped the airport fly past its annual 10,000 enplanement goal that qualifies it for a $1 million subsidy from the federal government.

An enplanement is a paying passenger at the airport, most of whom use SkyWest Airlines to travel to Detroit and beyond.

Airport Manager Steve Smigelski said the airport racked up a total of 1,304 enplanements in November and that amount pushed the total enplanements for the year to 10,790.

The subsidy funds can be used for improvements or needed repairs at the airport. Smigelski said in the past, the money was used to buy needed equipment such as a runway sweeper in 2018.

December got off to a shaky start however as poor runway conditions after a recent snowstorm forced a delayed flight and the closure of the airport for several hours.

Smigelski said airport employees plowed the runway, but after the snow was scraped away, there was a layer of ice under it. A special sand was used to try to provide grip for the incoming plane, but the strong winds blew it away, and forced the jet heading from Detroit to Alpena to turn around.

The flight finally landed in Alpena at about 7 p.m. when it was scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

“We take on Mother Nature every day, and sometimes she wins,” Smolinski said.

The TSA is seeking more employees for the airport in Alpena, as well as for the Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County, as more people are flying than earlier in the COVID-19 when there were restrictions in place that kept people at home more.

On its website, the TSA promotes its jobs, pay, and incentives.

For an employee hired at the Pellston airport before June 4 of next year, the TSA is offering a sign-on bonus of up to $2,000 and an additional $1,000 after onboarding. An employee who works for an entire year after being hired will receive an additional $1,000 after one year of service.

Onboarding is the process of integrating new employees into the agency that includes the new employee orientation program

The federal contractor is also seeking TSA employees for Alpena, but at a lower incentive amount. The TSA is offering a sign-on bonus of up to $1,000 at the Alpena airport and $500 after onboarding. The employee receives an additional $500 after one year of service. This initiative applies to TSO new hires that are hired by Sept.30.

Jessica Mayle, public affairs specialist for the TSA Great Lakes region, said incentives have been being used for about a year. She said to her knowledge there haven’t been any long wait times in Alpena or Pellston, and no canceled flights due to staffing issues. Mayle said additional employees are needed however because more people are traveling than earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Right now we are staffed enough to meet the current demand and handle the customer volume we are seeing now,” she said. “The incentives help us to compete in the job market and attract the best talent and get people to consider these jobs.”