The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has launched a Spanish-language automated virtual assistant to answer routine traveler questions via social media. The new system went live Monday, September 20, and allows Spanish-speaking travelers to obtain quick answers about airport security procedures by sending their questions to @AskTSA.
“A Spanish version of our @AskTSA social media virtual assistant represents the agency’s first fully integrated foreign language service on our social media platforms,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “TSA remains committed to improving how we engage with passengers in ways that help prepare them for the most efficient checkpoint experience possible.”
Airline passengers with questions related to TSA’s checkpoint procedures including forgotten IDs as well as lost or prohibited items, have turned to @AskTSA on Twitter, and Facebook. The virtual assistant, launched in English in November 2019, answers common questions instantly around the clock, 365 days a year. Hundreds of thousands of traveler questions have been answered by the automated system since its inception.
This fiscal year, @AskTSA surpassed 1 million questions submitted for the first time since its inception. The Spanish-language automated system will help many more travelers quickly get answers to common airport security questions using their mobile device.
For more complex questions, the TSA AskTSA team provides live assistance weekdays from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Eastern Time, or during weekends and holidays from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
