TSA Pushes to Expand Private Security at Airport Checkpoints

In what industry experts call an about-face for the Transportation Security Administration, the agency is ramping up efforts to privatize security at U.S. airports.

The recent government shutdowns, which left T.S.A. agents unpaid for months and led to long lines, have fueled a push to expand the Screening Partnership Program, which uses private contractors to staff security checkpoints, and to roll out a new voluntary public-private screening initiative called Gold+.

Twenty airports, including San Francisco International, currently participate in the Screening Partnership Program. While lines at airports like Houston’s Hobby, which uses T.S.A., extended outside terminals during the last shutdown, passengers often waited 10 minutes or less at the non-T.S.A. airports.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/travel/tsa-airport-security.html