Airports in Tampa, Des Moines and Charleston, South Carolina, have opted into the TSA Gold+ program that allows private contractors to do airport security screening.
The Transportation Security Administration says on the Gold+ website that the agency will retain oversight of security operations and standards at airports that enter the program, but that screening will be handled on a “private screener contract model” that gives airports investment “without waiting on lengthy budget cycles.”
Officials at the Charleston airport said in a release Wednesday that current TSA employees will have the opportunity to switch to work for the incoming private contractor at equal pay and with equal benefits, and that security standards will not change.
Charleston airport officials also said that passengers should expect screenings to go faster and be more customer-friendly.
“It really comes down to the opportunity for the advanced equipment and the future and the efficiency that that can provide for the checkpoint operations. That’s the real benefit to this program for the Des Moines Airport Authority,” Des Moines Airport Authority CEO Brian Mulcahy told local TV station KCCI-TV.
Mr. Mulcahy also brought up previous government shutdowns and their effects on airports, telling KCCI-TV that “the shutdowns also create significant anxiety for passengers … With TSA Gold+, it’s anticipated that that would not be an issue in the future, even if there is a shutdown.”
Tampa International Airport Director of Communications Emily Nipps told Federal News Network that “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 infrastructure and technology to enhance the customer experience.”
Similar to the employees in Charleston, Tampa TSA workers in Florida will be given the right of first refusal that requires contractors to offer jobs to government workers before hiring from outside that pool of people.
Contractors have not yet been selected by the TSA, according to Federal News Network. The transition is expected to occur in January 2027 at the Des Moines airport in Iowa, in February 2027 at the Charleston airport and in May 2027 at the Tampa airport, according to The New York Times.
The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 47,000 TSA workers nationwide, is opposed to the program, citing security risks and 9/11 specifically.
“Make no mistake – this is 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,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a release from the union.
Mr. Kelley said 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.”
