A federal push to hand moreairport security checkpoints to private contractors is drawing fire from the union representing tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration officers, as three regional airports become the first to sign on to the program.
The new initiative, called TSA Gold+, lets airports swap out federal Transportation Security Officers for private screening companies that take over the checkpoint equipment itself, marking a bigger shift than the TSA's existing Screening Partnership Program (SPP), under which private contractors screen passengers but the government still owns the machines.
Tampa International Airport, Charleston International Airport in South Carolina and Des Moines International Airport in Iowa have
all opted in, TSA told the American Federation of Government Employees. The agency has laid out a rough timeline: Des Moines in January 2027, Charleston in February 2027 and Tampa in May 2027.
TSA union raises alarm on private security screening
The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 47,000 Transportation Security Officers across 400 U.S. airports, has forcefully denounced the Gold+ initiative.
"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. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and the deadly bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland in 1988," AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a statement. "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."
The union pointed to the administration's proposed fiscal 2027 budget, which calls for cutting roughly 8,400 TSA jobs, including more than 2,400 transportation security officer positions, with the union saying about half of those cuts would come through expanded privatization.
Why now?
During this year's government shutdowns, federal screeners were required to keep working without pay, and staffing call-outs led to long lines and delays at airports nationwide. Airports that already use private screeners under the older SPP model, including several in Florida, largely avoided those disruptions because contractor pay isn't tied to congressional appropriations.
"TSA Gold+ presents a new way for airports to deliver exceptional service to every traveler, while advancing security, efficiency, and the overall airport experience," a TSA spokesperson said in a statement.
Tampa International Airport, where nearly 800 federal TSA workers were notified of the change, said in a statement that the move "reflects the airport's strong commitment to modernization, innovation, and operational resilience in aviation security" and would reduce disruption risk from federal funding lapses.
What changes with airport security?
Under Gold+, TSA keeps setting all security rules and conducting inspections. Standard screening procedures, ID checks and carry-on liquid limits stay the same regardless of who's staffing the checkpoint.
What changes is who runs it. Private vendors will own and manage the screening equipment directly, which TSA officials say lets airports upgrade technology faster than the federal procurement process typically allows.
Existing federal officers at transitioning airports have been told they'll have the first opportunity to move into equivalent contractor jobs, or can seek reassignment to another TSA airport or a role elsewhere in the federal government. The union disputes how equivalent those jobs will actually be, saying contract workers historically earn less than federal officers and could lose collective bargaining rights.
Florida already has more airports using private screeners than almost any other state. Orlando Sanford International Airport and Punta Gorda Airport have used contract screeners under the Screening Partnership Program for years, and Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport made the switch more recently. All three predate Gold+ and aren't affected by the new program's rollout.
Whether Gold+ spreads to more Florida airports, including Palm Beach International, remains an open question. For now, PBI has made no indication it's exploring the switch, and any transition would require the airport to formally apply to TSA.
Emmy Bailey is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Private TSA checkpoints tested at 3 airports, including one in Florida
