What you should know about TSA Gold+ at TPA

Tampa International Airport is among the country's first airports to opt in to the federal government's new TSA Gold+ program, using a private security operator managed by TSA personnel to staff security screening checkpoints at our four Airside terminals.

Here are answers to some questions you may have about the change:

What is TSA Gold+?
TSA Gold+ is a voluntary federal program under which a TSA-approved operator manages checkpoint screening and technology while TSA continues to set security standards and oversee performance, as required by federal statute. Tampa, Des Moines, and Charleston are the first three airports to participate in the newly branded TSA Gold+ program. However, 20 other airports, including San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Kansas City International Airport (MCI), and Sarasota International Airport (SRQ), have long operated with a private screening provider under the original TSA private screening (Screening Partnership Program) model. As a result, none of these airports were adversely impacted during the previous government shutdowns. SFO and MCI have had private security screening since 2002 and never had TSA personnel perform security screening at those airports.

Why is TPA opting in to the TSA Gold+ program?

The shift to privatization not only reduces disruption risks caused by lapses in federal appropriations or government shutdowns but also allows greater flexibility to explore new screening checkpoint technology to enhance the customer experience.

• Operational predictability and continuity: The 75-day partial DHS shutdown earlier this year happened during TPA's busiest time of the year, spring break. While TPA fared better than many airports around the country, TPA's Operations team tracked officer callouts every morning with no way of knowing what the day would bring. A large hub airport such as TPA must have operational predictability and continuity. Airline schedules, connection windows, and our 70,000 daily passengers all depend on TSA checkpoints that perform predictably. Anything less is disruptive to our passengers and operations, and is unacceptable at TPA. We anticipate another potential government shutdown this December, during the busy holiday travel period. Attrition among TSA officers at TPA has nearly doubled to 14 percent following the last partial shutdown, and each takes 4 to 6 months to replace and certify. TPA is critical infrastructure responsible for the safe and efficient movement of people and cargo. As such, we can't afford continued funding-related disruptions.

• Technology: Under TSA Gold+, the private operator funds and deploys checkpoint technology on a commercial timeline rather than a federal procurement and appropriations timeline, bringing speed-to-delivery in technology improvements and enabling greater throughput, enhanced security, and customer experience

• Customer Experience: Our quarterly Airports Council International Airport Service Quality (ASQ) passenger survey showed a sharp decline, our lowest-ever scores, in the TSA screening category during the last shutdown. TPA ranked 45th out of 56 participating airports, which is not the level of customer service TPA's travelers have come to expect.

• Statutory alignment: The HCAA Enabling Act directs the Authority toward public safety, public convenience, and quality of service, and to "do all acts and things necessary or convenient for the promotion of its business and the general safety, security, and welfare of the Authority." Continuing to absorb known and recurring risks to checkpoint reliability ignores those duties, particularly as our passenger volumes grow.

How much money is TPA making from this change?
Tampa International Airport does not receive any funding from the TSA, nor does it pay for security screening services, mandated by federal law for air travel. The Airport is responsible for providing spaces and maintenance for security screening checkpoints, which are staffed and operated entirely by the federal government.

What private screening operator is taking over the security screening checkpoints?
The TSA will select the private screening operator at TPA by September 2026. Under the TPA Gold+ program, airports can and are encouraged to participate in the vendor selection process and development of contract requirements, and TPA plans to do so, but the airport is not a party to the agreement between the TSA and the private screening operator.

When will the change take effect?
Full implementation of TSA Gold+ is expected by May 2027.

How will security screening change?
We expect the transition to be seamless for passengers, and operations will continue as normal. TSA PreCheck, PreCheck Touchless ID and family lanes will still be available at each Airside.

Doesn't privatization dismantle the security system Congress built after Sept. 11?
No. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, the same statute that created the TSA, authorized airports to use TSA-approved private screeners. Private screening is not a workaround of the post-9/11 framework. It's a provision of it, which has operated continuously for 24 years. Remember, before Sept. 11 of 2001, the TSA did not exist and did not oversee passenger and baggage screening. While TPA is moving to a privatized screening model, we are doing so only with the TSA continuing to set rigorous security standards and oversight of the screening process.

Will the private screeners be held to a different standard than the current federal officers?
No. A federal requirement for identical security training is not a choice. It's a federal statute enacted by Congress. Screeners are trained and certified to the same federal requirements and face the same federal covert testing. Under TSA Gold+, TSA will keep TPA's Federal Security Director in place and has the authority to intervene at any time. What changes is who employs the screener and who owns the equipment, not the federal security standards. This is vastly different from the oversight and requirements that existed pre-9/11 when airlines hired security companies for passenger screening, often through low-bid contracts.

Is TPA eliminating jobs?

No. The Aviation Authority does not employ federal security screeners today and will not under TSA Gold+. The TSA contracts with the private screening entity and oversees the agreement. TSA officers hold the right of first refusal for positions with the incoming operator, so they must be offered jobs before anyone new is hired. Additionally, the private screening operator is required by law to provide compensation and other benefits that are not less than the level of compensation and other benefits provided to such Federal Government personnel. While many of the current TSA employees may remain at TPA with the new operator, some may choose other options, including transferring to other airports that use TSA personnel for screening.

For future updates about the transition to TPA Gold+, please follow TPA's social media accounts on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @FlyTPA. You may also learn more at: https://www.tsa.gov/goldplus