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Screening Partnership Program


The Screening Partnership Program (SPP), instituted in 2004 by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the United States, is a program that allows airports to employ private security agencies to conduct screening, instead of having the TSA conduct said screenings. Airports and security agencies must complete applications in order to be eligible to participate in this program. All private security agencies must follow all TSA screening policies and procedures, and use TSA-approved equipment.

As of 2016, 23 airports have participated in the SPP. Below is a list of participating airports:

Below is a list of qualified private agencies that are TSA-approved:

To apply to the program as a private screening agency, the agency must first make sure there are available opportunities detailed on the Federal Business Opportunities website. Afterwards, the agency can proceed to apply.

If contracted, these agencies will work for the TSA rather than the airport authority.

Frequent flyers, airport executives, and lawmakers have argued that it will improve quality of service and make the screening process more efficient. Airport executives and lawmakers also say that private agencies can do some things that the TSA doesn't do (such being able to report an issue, get a response within minutes, and have it be remedied fast), making private agencies more desirable. There are no financial or procedural differences. Additionally, many high ranking aviation-security-affiliated individuals (such as T. J. Orr, aviation director for Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Mark VanLoh, director of the aviation department for Kansas City) believe that moving towards a private security/screening force is essential, and that they would prefer to be in charge of the security in their airports, to ensure accountability and constant quality of service.

Lawmakers also say that they can't understand the TSA's resistance to the program, considering that it creates jobs.

Several airports, such as Midway International Airport and O'Hare International Airport, have occasionally notified flyers that they should arrive around 3 hours before their flight, in case delays are to occur due to the supposed inefficiency of the TSA. Periodically, flyers have even missed their flights as a result of long lines for screening and other general delays, which has influenced people to want to switch to private screening agencies.


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