What does it mean for travelers?
Airport security is changing. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is planning to deploy private contractors at U.S. airports to screen passengers and replace federal workers. This comes as the agency is also experimenting with a remote screening facility at Boston Logan International Airport to reduce wait times.
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‘The Future of Aviation Security’
TSA Gold+ is an expansion of the existing Screening Partnership Program (SPP), which allows private companies to run screening operations with TSA oversight. Airports can opt for this program, and currently, 20 airports—including San Francisco International Airport and Orlando Sanford International Airport—are part of it. Under this scheme, TSA controls all equipment at airports but delegates physical screening to private contractors. Airports with SPP use the same machinery as TSA-run airports and apply the same policies for screening passengers, but the screeners are paid by a private company.
TSA Gold+, however, will also empower private companies to introduce new technology, including AI, and maintain it, bringing innovation without waiting for federal budget cycles. It could also address problems arising from staff shortages; the new plan will keep machinery functioning during federal shutdowns.
“TSA Gold+ will unlock innovation, expand screening capacity, and achieve world-class security and customer experience,” it says. To travelers, the agency promises a seamless, secure, and efficient screening experience. There is not much shared about how it would be funded, but TSA clarifies that airports won’t have to pay anything additional to get this service.
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On the other hand, privatization may result in job loss, weaken worker protections, and reduce pay. For-profit companies might also try to cut corners and compromise safety, experts warn.
Union leader Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said that the union is against privatization. With this new model, the government “would be ceding direct operational control of the most sensitive technology in the aviation security enterprise to private vendors.” He also said that the federal model was built after lessons learned in blood. “We cannot go back to contracted-out aviation security and expect the lessons to hold.”
Before 9/11, airport security was maintained by private companies, and the TSA replaced it with a robust system of federal workers. One main difference is that the TSA oversees the private firms enrolled in SPP, and the federal government will continue to have oversight in Gold+, which wasn’t the case pre-9/11.
Calls to privatize aviation are not new. During the federal government shutdown last year and the partial shutdown this year, TSA-run airports reported long, hours-long queues due to staff shortages. Meanwhile, airports with privatized screenings ran much more smoothly because they were still being paid.
Chris Sununu, president and CEO of Airlines for America, reminded that during shutdowns, morale was highest at privatized airports.
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There is no official timeline for the deployment of this program yet, but The New York Times reported that a memo estimates it could take seven to 11 months to transition. Airports will be able to opt for the program, “to a tailored security screening service unique to each airport’s needs and space configuration.”