A trio of airports in the United States are making a major shift to security operations.
Local airports in Tampa, Florida (TPA), Des Moines, Iowa (DSM), and Charleston, South Carolina (CHS), have announced they plan to switch to private contractors to run their security checkpoints.
The change is part of the Trump administration’s TSA Gold+ initiative, which is giving airports nationwide the option to privatize their security workforces while maintaining oversight from the TSA.
The privatization program is a direct result of the numerous government shutdowns in recent years. TSA employees are federal workers, and therefore are asked to show up to airports without a paycheck during long shutdowns and federal funding lapses. This leads to higher numbers of TSA officers calling out of work and results in snarled airport lines and delays.
If checkpoints are staffed by private contractors, they can continue to receive a paycheck and operate normally during government shutdowns.
Although nearly two dozen airports in the U.S. are staffed by private security workers, the expansion of the program has its staunch critics.
“Changes of this magnitude should not be made behind closed doors without the input of Congress, the flying public, the local airport authorities, and TSA employees themselves,” said Everett Kelley, the national president of AFGE, the union that represents thousands of federal workers, including TSA employees.
The three airports will transition to private contractors in early 2027, according to The New York Times.
As part of its TSA Gold+ plan, the Trump administration’s 2027 budget has proposed replacing about 4,500 TSA officers with private security contractors.
“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,” Kelley said.
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