Amid a challenging year so far for air travelers, with multiple government shutdowns causing lengthy security lines at airports across the United States, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced a new initiative that aims to streamline the screening process.
In an internal memo sent on May 14, the federal agency informed its agents of a new public-private partnership program called TSA Gold+, a concept that was first reported in April by Federal News Network. TSA described the new initiative as an “innovative extension” of the Screening Partnership Program (SPP), which currently contracts with private companies to operate security screening of air passengers at 20 U.S. airports under TSA guidelines.
“TSA Gold+ is an extension of this well-established opt-in program, designed to foster even greater innovation and resilience,” the memo said. Meanwhile, the official government website for TSA Gold+ states that as the agency approaches its 25th anniversary “rising travel volumes, evolving threats, and funding challenges present an opportunity to re-imagine aviation security.”
The key distinction between the existing SPP model and Gold+ is the scope of contractor responsibility. Under SPP, TSA owns and procures screening equipment, while contractors provide the workforce. With Gold+, contractors would manage both the workforce and the technology, according to Homeland Security Today.
However, the TSA Gold+ website does not specify a timeline for the rollout of the program. An email to the agency from Afar was not immediately returned.
Concerns from labor groups
At least one labor advocacy group has raised concerns around the program, including what it claims has been a lack of transparency from TSA throughout the development of Gold+. Against Giants Labor Advocates, LLC, a Norfolk, Virginia–based consultancy that represents TSA employees, contends that the initiative was never disclosed to the U.S. Congress or TSA’s workforce while the agency’s top officials developed and pitched the program.
“TSA officers worked without pay twice this fiscal year,” Against Giants said in a May 19 post on Facebook. “They showed up anyway. Now they are . . . watching a privatization architecture being built around them that was never disclosed to Congress and was not communicated to them until last week. Against Giants is documenting this not to cast officers as victims, but because the record demands it and the workforce deserves to have it stated plainly.”
Against Giants cofounder Scott Robinson said in an email to Afar that the group’s chief concern is “the accelerated timeline of the rollout relative to how long the policy was developed outside of public view.”
He explained: “The TSA officially announced the program to its workforce on May 14, and published the draft contract requirements on the federal procurement register less than 24 hours later. Moving from a direct federal operational model to a turnkey, contractor-run framework with minimal prior administrative directives creates immense operational ambiguity for the personnel and industry partners tasked with managing the transition.”
In a May 15 statement, the group also said the “oversight questions” it has raised with congressional offices “remain unasked and unanswered on the congressional record.”
At an April 16 Congressional hearing, TSA Deputy Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill suggested privatizing TSA screenings to avoid future funding lapses and widespread disruptions like those that plagued the industry this spring.
However, the issue of TSA trending toward privatization has garnered criticism from groups including the Association of Federal Government Employees, a union representing TSA agents. The union says TSA’s main goal is to protect air travelers, which conflicts with the objectives of profit-driven private companies. “We urge Congress to reject any proposal that shifts the responsibility of protecting air travelers to for-profit entities,” it said in a May 2025 blog post.
What travelers should know about the TSA Gold+ program
It’s important to note that TSA Gold+ is not an expedited security program like TSA PreCheck or Clear that air travelers can apply for. Instead, it’s a public-private partnership that airports can choose to opt into or not. Airports that opt in will install a tailored security screening service based on their needs and space, with support from TSA and private vendors—at no additional cost to travelers.
“By enabling direct investment—without waiting on lengthy budget cycles—TSA Gold+ unlocks new revenue streams, empowers local decision-making, and accelerates the deployment of cutting-edge solutions nationwide,” the website states.
However, since airports that opt in will also have the flexibility to use technology and processes adapted to their own facilities, the experience for travelers may vary widely depending on the airport, Robinson noted. “Transitioning to frameworks that rely heavily on local or private capital risks creating a split, two-tier security system across the country,” he explained. “Passengers at smaller or less funded airports could face drastically different technology baselines and checkpoint efficiency compared to major hubs.”
An off-site TSA screening initiative in Boston
In addition to the rollout of TSA Gold+, the agency continues to experiment with other initiatives aimed at making security screening more seamless.
Starting on June 1, passengers with certain flights out of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) will be able to go through a TSA screening outpost in Framingham, Massachusetts—avoiding the hectic security process at Boston Logan altogether. After passengers clear security at the Logan Airport Remote Terminal, shuttle buses will transport them approximately 25 miles to the airport, where they will be dropped off beyond the security checkpoint, streamlining the departure process at BOS.
The service is a pilot program initially only available for passengers on Delta Air Lines and JetBlue flights departing between 5:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. The service, which can be booked up to 90 days in advance, costs $9 and is free for children traveling with a ticketed family member.
