Consumers finally can talk to US Transportation Security Administration — sort of

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has given consumers a new way to communicate with the agency about airport and airline problems — in vintage Web 1.0 fashion.

The TSA has unveiled TalktoTSA as a means to communicate with the customer service person at the airport you are complaining — or raving — about.

TSA Administrator John Pistole, who took office July 1, says on the TSA website: “After leaving your feedback, it will be sent directly to the person in charge of TSA customer service at the airport for which you are commenting. If you ask for a response, you will receive one.”

The idea is a good one by the TSA.

Of course, there is no word, however, on how timely the responses will be .

The hitch in the TSA’s new customer service move, however, is that consumers can provide their feedback to the TSA through an old-fashioned form that looks like this:

You click on a map and that populates a field that indicates the state the airport is located in.

That’s a nice little feature.

But, with all the modern Web communications tools that are available today, is providing consumers with a wooden form the best the TSA can come up with?

How about some live chat with a TSA customer service staffer?

Or even communicating via email would be more lively than filling out a clunky form.

Of course, passengers can provide their email addresses if they want a response, the TSA says.

The idea is a good one — let’s see how well the TSA executes on this promise of better communications with travelers.