Tampa, Charleston, and Des Moines Airports Adopt TSA Gold+ Private Screening

The federal government is pushing the boundaries of privatization at the airport checkpoint. Three U.S. airports—Tampa International, Charleston International, and Des Moines International—have officially opted into the Transportation Security Administration’s Gold+ program, according to nytimes.com. While the TSA maintains regulatory supervision, the operational control of the checkpoints is shifting toward the private sector.

Gold+ vs. the Screening Partnership Program

To understand Gold+, one must first look at the existing Screening Partnership Program (SPP). Established in 2004, the SPP allows airports to hire private contractors for screening staff while adhering to TSA regulations. However, travelweekly.com reports that this older model saw minimal adoption, with only 20 participating airports, including San Francisco and Kansas City.

The Gold+ initiative, launched in May, evolves this relationship. Under the new model, the contracted company doesn’t just provide the people; it owns and manages the screening technology itself. This change is designed to bypass the slow-moving federal procurement processes that often delay the rollout of new equipment. By shifting technology ownership to the private sector, the TSA aims to accelerate checkpoint innovation.

The Catalyst: Budget Requests and Shutdowns

This pivot isn’t happening in a vacuum. It’s a direct reflection of the Trump administration’s policy preference for privatization. The White House signaled this intent in its April budget request, which proposed requiring small airports to enroll in the SPP. Travel and Tour World notes that the move comes as airports face increasing pressure to modernize equipment and manage larger passenger volumes.

Operational instability also played a role. Last fall’s federal government shutdown and the subsequent Department of Homeland Security shutdown this past winter and spring created chaos at hubs like Atlanta and Houston Bush Intercontinental. Because workers at privatized checkpoints continued to receive regular paychecks during these federal freezes, the SPP and the new Gold+ model gained renewed attention as a way to ensure operational continuity.

Workforce Transitions at Tampa, Charleston, and Des Moines

The transition will not be seamless for the federal employees currently staffing these checkpoints. TSA workers at the three participating airports will face a choice: transition to the private contractor, seek vacancies at other airports, find roles in other federal agencies, or retire. Brian Mulcahy stated that current officers at Des Moines will be given the first opportunities for jobs with the private screening company, once it is chosen.

Tampa, Des Moines, and Charleston Airports Shift to Gold+ Private Security

The timeline for these shifts varies by location, though Travel and Tour World reports that the airports are expected to transition in 2027. Des Moines specifically plans to align its transition with the opening of a new terminal early next year.

AFGE Opposition and National Security Concerns

The Association of Federal Government Employees (AFGE), which represents thousands of TSA workers, is fighting the move. The union argues that the profit motive inherent in private contracting inevitably leads to higher employee turnover, lower pay, and a degradation of security standards.

“Make no mistake — this is a major departure and step backwards from the aviation screening security system that Congress created in the wake of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks in 2001 and the deadly bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland in 1988,”

Everett Kelley, AFGE national president, via Travel Weekly

This tension highlights a fundamental disagreement in aviation management: whether efficiency and rapid technological adoption—the primary arguments for Gold+—outweigh the stability and oversight of a purely federal workforce.

Measuring the Success of the Gold+ Test

The rollout at these three diverse markets serves as a real-world trial. The industry will be watching several key metrics to determine if Gold+ becomes the new standard for U.S.

• Checkpoint Efficiency: Whether private ownership of technology actually reduces wait times and speeds up passenger flow.
• Workforce Stability: If the transition of federal employees to private payrolls results in the turnover predicted by the AFGE.
• Security Performance: Whether the combination of private operations and federal oversight maintains the same security rigor as the traditional model.

For the average traveler, the immediate changes will be invisible; identification requirements and security rules remain under TSA standards. However, the long-term impact will be found in the hardware. As Brian Mulcahy noted, the goal is a leap forward in technology to improve the passenger experience. Whether that efficiency comes at the cost of security remains the central point of contention.