TSA to replace ‘Gold+’ in privatization push

Key Points:

• The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is replacing its Gold+ privatized screening program with an "evolved" Screening Partnership Program (SPP) under Administrator David Cummins' new Horizon 25 Strategy, aiming to modernize checkpoints and improve traveler experience.
• The Horizon 25 Strategy focuses on expanding public-private partnerships, enhancing TSA PreCheck, streamlining technology acquisition, and countering threats like unmanned aircraft systems, while maintaining TSA oversight of private screeners at 20 airports.
• Tampa International Airport, initially planning to adopt Gold+, reversed its decision after a thorough review, opting to keep TSA officers for screening; this move was praised by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which opposes privatization efforts.
• TSA screeners have expressed concerns about privatization impacting pay, benefits, job stability, and workforce experience, with some employees considering retirement or leaving due to uncertainty around Gold+ transitions.
• The shift away from Gold+ raises questions about the Trump administration’s privatization push, with experts suggesting the new approach under SPP may rebrand and refine Gold+ goals, focusing on checkpoint modernization and leveraging private sector expertise while addressing previous program ambiguities.