United States officials have unveiled a new initiative that aims to make airport security screening more efficient.
The new program, called TSA Gold+, will allow airports across the country to opt into utilizing private contractors to perform security and screening duties at the checkpoint.
The public-private partnership will be individually tailored to each airport’s specific needs and space configurations, the TSA says.
TSA Gold+ is an expansion of the agency’s existing Screening Partnership Program, which outsources staffing at airport checkpoints to third-party contractors with TSA oversight. The little-known program received renewed attention during the most recent government shutdown.
Because airports that participate in the Screening Partnership Program don’t have checkpoints staffed by federal employees, they are largely unaffected during lapses in federal funding. As such, those airports did not experience the snaking lines that occurred at many U.S. airports when unpaid TSA officers began calling out of work in higher numbers.
The striking contrast spurred officials to propose ways to expand the Screening Partnership Program, in which only 20 airports participate. In addition to “funding challenges,” TSA Gold+ will address issues like “rising travel volumes [and] evolving threats,” the program’s website says.
Not only will TSA Gold+ allow U.S. airports to voluntarily opt in, but it will also let them quickly deploy advanced security technology, according to TSA. “Industry partners can manage equipment and introduce innovations, while travelers enjoy a smooth, predictable, and bespoke experience,” the program website says, while TSA will maintain “robust oversight.”
But the program is not without its critics. Everett Kelley, president of the AFGE labor union that represents TSA workers, told Congress in May that the Gold+ program will likely not be a silver bullet for budgeting woes. “Private contractors face the same risks from funding lapses as the federal agencies that pay them,” Kelley said.
In his testimony, Kelley also noted that the program could introduce more risk into the national airspace. Although TSA would provide oversight, Kelley said that in effect “the federal government would be ceding direct operational control of the most sensitive technology in the aviation security enterprise to private vendors.”
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