16 Airports Have Stopped Using The TSA; More To Follow

More and more airports are considering hiring private firms to handle security.

Some of the nation’s biggest airports are responding to recent public outrage over security screening by weighing whether they should hire private firms such as Covenant to replace the Transportation Security Administration. Sixteen airports, including San Francisco and Kansas City International Airport, have made the switch since 2002. One Orlando airport has approved the change but needs to select a contractor, and several others are seriously considering it.

However, private screening may cost us more. One report says the contracts are 9 to 17 percent higher than the TSA’s costs. And there’s no guarantee this is a better system.

Robert W. Mann, an industry analyst and former airline executive based in New York, said airports who are considering a switch to private screeners are simply responding to “consumer outrage.” Mann says a a better solution is tougher regulations and training for federal security officers.

“We can’t go back to the late ’90s when private screeners had McDonald’s-level wages and attention spans to match,” Mann said. “A uniform, tough government system makes a lot of sense.”

The American Federation of Government Employees, the labor union for TSA employees, has questioned the privatization of airport security as well, calling it an ineffective “patchwork quilt.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.