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Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Airport officials consider privatizing TSA screening duties at T.F. Green
Passengers wait at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at T.F. Green International Airport on Nov. 1, 2024, between 5:01 and 5:35 a.m. (Courtesy photo from the Rhode Island Airport Corporation) State airport officials claim the wait for passengers to get through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport is taking too long, and they might have a solution: Replace the federal officers with private security workers. The Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) filed a petition on April 25 to join the TSA's Screening Partnership Program, which allows use of private screening contractors for airport security. Airport spokesperson Bill Fischer confirmed the application after the move was first reported by WPRI-12 Tuesday. A copy of the petition was not immediately made available. Fischer said the recommendation came from Virginia-based consultant Studdiford Technical Solutions after RIAC hired the firm last November to analyze increasing passenger numbers and 'unusually long checkpoint lines' officials noticed the month prior. 'We have in fact seen unacceptable and increased lines and wait times that have become a concern for the board and management team,' Fischer said in a statement. 'In anticipation of sustained higher passenger volumes, we feel it is important to evaluate every option.' Fischer said airport officials are only exploring the option and have not made any final decision on the matter. Even if the TSA were to approve the petition, Fischer said the federal agency would retain oversight and continue to set security standards at T.F. Green. The head of the union representing New England's TSA officers called RIAC's justification for pursuing the possibility of privatizing screening 'ridiculous.' 'That's not a reason to privatize,' Mike Gayzagian, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2617 headquartered in Boston, said in an interview. 'Wait times are fluid.' Since the start of 2025, TSA spokesperson Daniel Velez said 100% of all standard lane screenings at T.F. Green remained under the agency's projected peak wait of half an hour. The longest wait time in the last month was at 27 minutes, according to TSA data obtained by Rhode Island Current. The average maximum wait travelers experienced in April was 10 minutes. Travelers who used TSA Precheck had an average maximum wait time of five minutes last month. The average wait time nationally is just over four-and-a-half minutes and a little more than two minutes for those who've pre-checked. TSA tracks the data by handing a yellow card to the last passenger in line at the top, middle and bottom of the hour. Those passengers hold the card until they get up to an airport's X-ray, Velez explained in an email Thursday. An officer will then add all of the time up and average out the wait time for that hour. Federal officers may also use closed-circuit television to track how long passengers wait to be screened. Velez said travels may see long wait times due to rescheduled flights or staffing shortages. T.F. Green has roughly TSA 170 officers, but Velez declined to state how many vacancies there are citing security reasons. 'We work closely with our airport and airline partners to be able to project the busiest times of the day and make sure we are prepared,' Velez said in an emailed statement. Fischer acknowledged TSA has worked out some of the performance issues and that wait times in April have improved quite significantly. 'We will continue to monitor this situation and make recommendations that are in the best interest of our passengers,' he said in an email. So far, half of Rhode Island's congressional delegation has expressed opposition to RIAC's privatization proposal. U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner, whose congressional district includes the Warwick airport, said he has concerns about shifting duties away from the TSA. 'Privatizing security services at T.F. Green is not in the best interest of Rhode Island travelers or local workers who keep the airport safe and running smoothly,' Magaziner said in a statement to Rhode Island Current. 'As a frequent traveler at T.F. Green I see no apparent need to make such a change.' U.S. Sen. Jack Reed said privatizing TSA duties could undermine safety and staffing at T.F. Green. 'We are fortunate to have a great airport, but the idea of privatization strikes me as the wrong approach,' he said in a statement. 'I worked to ensure the airport got technology upgrades to make the security process more efficient and I also provide oversight to ensure TSA is accountable and reimburses the airport as needed.' The TSA has 60 days to review RIAC's petition to privatize screening duties. If approved, Fischer said existing transportation security officers would have the option to apply to be a screener under whatever private security firm airport officials would contract. But Gayzagian said going private can come with a lesser salary and fewer benefits. TSA officers can make between $65,000 and $70,000 a year with a benefits package of health, dental and vision, and life insurance. 'Who do they expect to come to take those jobs?' Gayzagian said. Gayzagian also claimed that privatized officers would have fewer worker protections compared to their federal said that contracted screeners at other airports that have chosen to privatize TSA duties have unionized. Sure, worker organization is possible, Gayzagian said. 'They'd have to start from scratch,' he added. TSA screens passengers at more than 430 federalized, commercial airports nationwide. Twenty-one airports, including Kansas City, Orlando and San Francisco have opted into the TSA Screening Partnership Program. The only New England airport participating is Portsmouth International Airport in New Hampshire, which joined in 2014. TSA officers continue to run checkpoints at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut and Boston Logan International Airport, where Massport spokesperson Benjamin Crawley said there are no intentions at this time to privatize. 'We have a great relationship with our TSA partners,' Crawley said in an email. RIAC's decision to explore privatization comes after rumors that airport officials sought to privatize its police force rather than hire sworn officers. Airport officials signed a five-year contract last October with Illinois-based Andy Frain Services for $5.5 million to provide workers who would inspect security badges, inspect vehicles entering restricted areas, and manage traffic outside the terminal. Fischer reiterated that RIAC has no plans to replace its police or fire departments with private contractors. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TF Green Airport may drop TSA for private security firm
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport officials are exploring whether to privatize security services currently provided by the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Target 12 has learned. The state's flagship airport filed a petition Friday to join TSA's Screening Partnership Program, which would allow it to hire a qualified private firm to provide security services in lieu of TSA. Airport spokesperson Bill Fischer said Tuesday no final decision has been made, but he confirmed executives are examining the idea. He said the airport is getting busier and wants to 'ensure that travelers are being screened in an efficient and timely manner and that they are making their flights and connections on time.' 'We have in fact seen unacceptable and increased lines and wait times that have become a concern for the board and management team,' Fischer said in a statement. 'In anticipation of sustained higher passenger volumes, we feel it is important to evaluate every option.' RELATED: TF Green ranked fastest-growing major airport in US The idea quickly drew opposition from U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee subpanel that distributes federal transportation money. 'Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport is a great airport, but the idea of privatization strikes me as the wrong approach,' Reed told Target 12 in a statement. 'I would not support any change that could undermine safety and staffing at security checkpoints.' Citing increased passenger numbers and recent 'unacceptable delays,' Fischer said the airport brought in an outside consultant, which recommended the partnership program. 'No decision has been made to go in this direction even if we were approved for the program,' Fischer said. 'We are simply pursuing this path as an option as we evaluate if this is a good fit for our continued success at R.I. T.F. Green International Airport.' Fischer said there are no plans to privatize the airport's police and fire departments. There are currently 21 commercial airports that participate in the Screening Partnership Program, including Kansas City, Orlando and San Francisco. TSA has a list of qualified private security firms that must comply with TSA screening procedures and operate under federal oversight, according to the agency's website. T.F. Green currently employs about 200 TSA workers, including 170 transportation security officers, or TSOs. Some TSA workers were briefed on the situation and what happens next on Friday, according to multiple people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity. TSA has 60 days to review the application, according to its website. If approved, TSA has 120 days to enter into a contract with one or multiple private firms on behalf of the airport, according to its website. 'If the TSA were to approve this program, it is our understanding that those currently employed could apply for screener positions under the new management company,' Fischer said. 'We would anticipate relatively little turnover,' he added. 'It is also our understanding that airports around the country that have gone in this direction have new bargaining groups formed and in fact become unionized.' The move comes at a tumultuous time for TSA and its employees. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has fired thousands of federal employees and made moves to dismantle union protections. In March, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it was ending its collective bargaining agreement with tens of thousands of frontline TSA employees. MORE: Homeland Security ends TSA collective bargaining agreement U.S. Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., meanwhile, introduced the 'Abolish TSA Act of 2025' earlier this month. The legislation aims to eliminate TSA altogether, which the Republican lawmakers argued is necessary because the agency intrudes on people's privacy and personal space, while failing to find weapons and explosives. LOCAL LINK: Travelers at TF Green weigh in on proposal to eliminate TSA TSA was first established in November 2001 under then-President George W. Bush, also a Republican, in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But Tuberville says it's since become a bloated agency 'riddled with waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars.' It's unclear whether the move to privatize security services will garner the backing of other Rhode Island elected officials, or whether they were made aware of the idea ahead of time. Democratic Congressman Seth Magaziner's spokesperson, Noah Boucher, said TSA staff told his office about the petition on Friday. (The Warwick airport is inside Magaziner's 2nd Congressional District.) 'We have reached out to airport leadership for an explanation,' Boucher said in a statement. Spokespeople for Democratic Gov. Dan McKee did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Eli Sherman (esherman@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook. Tim White (twhite@ is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
