More than 70,000 American Airlines passengers have missed their flights this year due to “excessive wait times,” according to a company executive. “We have never seen TSA wait times that affect airlines and passengers throughout the United States like we have seen in recent months,” American Airlines Senior Vice President of Customer Experience Kerry Philipovitch told a House subcommittee on transportation security Thursday, according to prepared testimony. Philipovitch added that “over 40,000 checked bags were delayed in TSA screening and did not travel on their scheduled flight.” Philipovitch’s figures, which represent only a fraction of the total air passengers affected by recent security line delays at airports nationwide, highlight the severity of the problem as officials scramble to find solutions. The delays have several causes, including cheaper airfare driving record numbers of travelers to the skies and a miscalculation on part of the TSA concerning the number of travelers who would sign up for a pre-clearance program.