These 20 US airports don't use TSA screeners — and Trump wants more to go private
The Trump administration is pushing to expand the use of private security contractors at US airports to replace federal TSA screeners. While proponents argue it saves money and improves efficiency, critics warn that privatization could compromise safety and labor standards.
Why it matters
This shift represents a significant change in federal infrastructure management and aviation security policy with potential impacts on travel efficiency and labor rights.
A TSA checkpoint at San Francisco International Airport. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images There are 20 US airports that employ private contractors instead of federal TSA screeners. These airports have maintained normal operations during government shutdowns. TSA recently scrapped its Gold+ program and announced a new strategy to encourage privatization. Under President Donald Trump, the Transportation Security Administration is seeking to replace federal TSA screeners with private contractors in more airport security lines. Twenty US airports already use private screeners through the TSA's Screening Partnership Program, or SPP, which launched in 2004 and operates under TSA oversight. Eight are Montana airports, including several small regional ones served by Cape Air, though San Francisco — one of the US' busiest airports — is also on the list. The operational difference became especially apparent during the two government shutdowns in 2025 and 2026.
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