Airport security workers have been fighting against handing TSA checkpoints to private companies, arguing that any money saved could come at the cost of workers—and traveler safety.
The dispute centered on TSA Gold+, a new program that would have replaced federal Transportation Security Officers with private contractors at participating airports. Gold+ would have put contractors in charge of checkpoint technology, making TSA in charge of setting security standards and overseeing performance, CBS News reports.
Tampa, Charleston and Des Moines airports were preparing to explore the program, anticipating transitions to kick off in 2027. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents tens of thousands of TSA officers, strongly opposed the plan, according to The Guardian.
In a new development, Gold+ will not move forward as originally planned. On Aug. 24, TSA announced that it would replace the program with an expanded version of its existing Screening Partnership Program. Tampa International Airport separately announced the same day that it would keep its federal TSA officers, Federal News Network reports.
What TSA Workers Were Worried About
Workers, Congress, and the flying public deserve to know what's happening with TSA's Gold+ program. That's why we're taking the agency to court. https://t.co/A4HwIzbsRv
— AFGE (@AFGENational) August 5, 2026
AFGE National President Everett Kelley called Gold+ “a major departure and step backwards” from the airport security system created after the Sept. 11 attacks. The union argued that turning more screening over to private companies could put profit ahead of security, according to The Guardian.
Chris Finlay, a TSA officer in Tampa and president of AFGE Local 556, told The Guardian that staffing is one of a contractor’s biggest expenses. This, Finlay argued, would give a private company incentive to reduce labor costs.
“For a private contract company, they’re not doing it out of duty for the traveling public or the constitution or anything,” said Finlay. “They’re doing it because it’s a business decision.”
He also described concerns over what would happen to federal employees’ pay and benefits after a transition.
Gold+ Is Gone, but Private Screening Is Not
Private airport screening did not begin with Gold+. TSA’s Screening Partnership Program has allowed private companies to screen travelers and baggage under federal oversight for over two decades. Twenty airports currently use private screeners, including San Francisco and Kansas City, according to CBS News.
Gold+ would have expanded that arrangement by placing both the workforce and checkpoint technology under a private operator. TSA argued that private operators could get new technology into airports faster and could better improve both security and the passenger experience, CBS News reports.
Tampa International Airport also saw another potential benefit: private screening would be less vulnerable to federal funding lapses. The airport said its TSA operation experienced uncertainty during a recent government shutdown, though it ultimately decided against Gold+ after reviewing the program, according to Tampa International Airport.
The debate is not finished. Under Administrator David Cummins’ new Horizon 25 strategy, TSA says it will replace Gold+ with an “evolved” Screening Partnership Program designed to further bridge public and private sectors, Federal News Network reports. So, while one version of the privatization push has been abandoned, the larger question of who should staff America’s airport checkpoints is still a question with many parties vying to answer it.