TSA mulling end to security checks at small US airports, but ‘no decision’ yet

WASHINGTON — The US Transportation Security Administration is reportedly considering an end to its passenger screening at more than 150 American airports, a move that, if carried out, would mark a dramatic shift in the rigorous airport security reforms that followed the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The possible change was first reported Wednesday by CNN, which cited internal documents and testimony from senior agency officials. It said TSA formed a working group to hash out the idea, which would apparently save some $115 million each year, the documents reportedly said.

A TSA official told The Times of Israel on Thursday that the agency has not decided to implement this proposal.

“There has been no decision to eliminate passenger screening at any federalized US airport,” the official said. “Every year as part of the federal budget process TSA is asked to discuss potential operational efficiencies — this year is no different.”

“Any potential operational changes to better allocate limited taxpayer resources are simply part of predecisional discussions and deliberations and would not take place without a risk assessment to ensure the security of the aviation system,” the official added.

The specific proposal would affect roughly 150 smaller airports that offer flights with fewer than 60 passengers.

The working group, according to CNN, concluded that these changes would impact roughly 10,000 passengers screened by nearly 1,300 TSA employees every day — amounting to less than 1% of the passengers who fly out of US airports.

Two senior TSA officials harshly criticized the idea, with one telling CNN it was “so dangerous.” The proposal, according to them, was discussed in TSA circles in 2011 — and was recently revived.

The working group reportedly comprises 20 people, including one member of the TSA administrator’s office. CNN said they met on June 21 to evaluate the possible changes.

These deliberations come after the agency recently ramped up its screening process. In 2017, TSA started requiring electronics larger than a smartphone to be placed in their own bins before going through the imagery technology.

What’s more, the Department of Homeland Security, then led by current White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, temporarily prohibited laptops as carry-on items for incoming flights from foreign countries in June 2017. That ban was eventually lifted one month later.