Twenty U.S. airports contract with private security firms to provide passenger screening rather than using Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents, and that number could soon grow.
Under the Screening Partnership Program (SPP), the federal government allows airports to choose to provide their own security, and a handful of the nation’s more than 5,000 public airports do so, most notably San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
TSA recently rolled out a new initiative called TSA Gold+ that could expand the number of airports that opt out of using uniformed TSA agents. Charleston International Airport (CHS) and Tampa International Airport (TPA) have already committed to shifting to TSA Gold+, and Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is also considering the move.
A Change to Privatization
“TPA’s decision to join TSA Gold+ reflects the airport’s strong commitment to modernization, innovation and operational resilience in aviation security,” Airport Communications Manager Beau Zimmer told USA Today. “The change to privatization not only reduces disruption risks caused by lapses in federal appropriations or government shutdowns, but also allows greater flexibility in exploring new screening checkpoint infrastructure and technology to enhance the customer experience.”
The Trump administration is branding TSA Gold+ as “the future of aviation security.”
“TSA Gold+ will pair the SPP with TSA’s innovation authorities to enable cutting-edge aviation security solutions,” according to a description of the public-private partnership on the TSA website, adding that SPP funds will be redirected into “investable partnerships where leading industry operators can manage both technology and screening workforce.”
The program has drawn the ire of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which has vowed to fight the replacement of its unionized TSA workers under TSA Gold+. AFGE National President Everett Kelley called the program “a major departure and step backwards from the aviation screening security system that Congress created in the wake of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks in 2001 and the deadly bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland in 1988.”
Private firms provided airport security before the creation of TSA.
“The Trump administration’s clear objective is to ultimately privatize all aviation security screening functions, and we don’t have to theorize about what that may look like because we have been through this before and witnessed the devastating and deadly consequences,” Kelley said. “The administration’s actions should concern all Americans, and AFGE will continue to speak out against any proposal that threatens our members’ jobs and jeopardizes the safety of the flying public.”
