The Obama administration moved Monday to quell the outcry over the government's latest airline passenger screening methods.
With the heavy Thanksgiving holiday travel weekend just days away, White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs said the government was "desperately" trying to achieve balance between safety and invasiveness with the procedures.
Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole said Sunday that the government would work to minimize the invasiveness of the scanning and pat-down procedures that are drawing outcries as being breaches of personal privacy. He said Monday, however, that no changes are expected by the heavy Thanksgiving travel period.
Gibbs, meanwhile, said any changes are likely to be gradual.
"The evolution of the security will be done with the input of those who go through security," Gibbs said. The highest priority, he said, "is to ensure that when you or I or others get on to an airplane, that we can feel reasonably sure that we can travel safely."
Pistole said he understands public concerns about privacy, but he also urged travelers not to take part in a loosely planned boycott of airport body scans.
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