About 20 U.S. airports rely on private security companies rather than the Transportation Security Administration to ensure that passengers and cargo comply with federal aviation safety standards.
Transportation security officers stand at the main security checkpoint at Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Mo., on June 3.
Arin Yoon for NPR
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Arin Yoon for NPR
The agency calls the program an update to the Screening Partnership Program, in which 20 U.S. airports currently use private…
The TSA is experimenting with new ways to make airport security less of a headache, and it's leaning more on private companies to…
The proposal would require hundreds of small airports to join the Screening Partnership Program and shift thousands of TSA jobs.
There’s already an ongoing solution to the long lines for those security checkpoints at airports; apply it nationwide.
A Transportation Security Administration official says expanding private screening could help prevent future travel delays.
Some airports have suspended wait time data, with one advising passengers to allow four hours or more for security screenings.
