Tampa International Airport in Florida is moving ahead with plans to hand over its security operations to a private contractor, a major shift airport officials say could help ease long lines and travel disruptions — but one that has sparked anger among federal airport workers and their union.
The decision by TPA, disclosed earlier this week, lands as the Trump administration continues pressing for more airport privatization across the United States.
In May, the Transportation Security Administration introduced TSA Gold+, a public-private partnership program that allows private companies to run airport security functions, including staffing checkpoints and managing screening equipment. Tampa International Airport has chosen to participate in that initiative.
The push follows a turbulent period for air travel, including a record 43-day government shutdown late last year and extended partial shutdowns earlier this year. During those funding standoffs, TSA workers went without pay, and many did not report for duty, leaving passengers facing wait times that stretched for hours.
Trump administration officials have promoted private airport security as a way to avoid similar breakdowns, arguing that contractors could keep paying screening staff even when Congress is locked in a public funding fight.
Other airports are also weighing the same path. Des Moines International Airport in Iowa has said it is “exploring” the TSA Gold+ program, while Charleston International Airport in South Carolina said it is “formally pursuing a transition,” according to public statements from both facilities.
The proposal, however, is drawing sharp opposition from the American Federation of Government Employees, the union representing roughly 47,000 Transportation Security Officers working at about 400 airports nationwide.
In a statement released Tuesday, AFGE argued that privatizing TSA airport security would weaken passenger safety and suggested the plan is driven more by private profit than by genuine efforts to improve efficiency.
Tampa International Airport in Florida is set to privatize its security in a bid to reduce wait times. An enormous line for security at Orlando International Air
Airports across the US faced chaos and long wait times during government shutdowns last year and earlier this year. A long line at JFK International Airport in NYC is pictured
A TSA agent is pictured with long lines in the background at Thurgood Marshall Airport in Maryland. Many TSA employees went unpaid for weeks during the shutdowns
‘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,’ AFGE National President Everett Kelley said.
‘Changes of this magnitude should not be made behind closed doors without the input of Congress, the flying public, the local airport authorities, and TSA employees themselves,’ Kelley added.
The AFGE news release also highlighted the Trump administration’s proposed 2027 federal budget, which aims to eliminate 8,400 federal airport security officer positions, or about 14 percent of TSA’s screening workforce.
The proposal signifies that the administration’s ‘clear objective is to ultimately privatize all aviation security screening functions,’ according to the AFGE president.
In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Chris Finlay, the AFGE North and Central Florida chapter president, called TPA’s move towards privatization a ‘slap in the face’ for employees who continued working without pay during government shutdowns.
But the airport’s officials maintained that the decision was made in the best interests of protecting operations and reducing the risk of chaos and disruptions.
‘The change to privatization not only reduces disruption risks caused by lapses in federal appropriations or government shutdowns,’ a statement to the Tampa Bay Times from TPA Communications Manager Beau Zimmer began.
Tampa International Airport (pictured) opted into a public-private program called TSA Gold+, which the Trump administration has touted as a solution to airport chaos during shutdowns
The American Federation of Government Employees, a union that represents 47,000 TSA workers, has decried privatization. Two TSA employees are pictured
AFGE chapter President Chris Finlay called privatization a ‘slap in the face’ to TSA employees who worked unpaid during the shutdowns. A TSA checkpoint is pictured during a partial shutdown earlier this year
‘But [it] also allows greater flexibility in exploring new screening checkpoint infrastructure and technology to enhance the customer experience.’
Although the TSA Gold+ program will give private contractors near-total oversight of security operations, companies will still be mandated to follow established federal standards, Zimmer said.
TPA is expected to complete its transition into privatization as soon as May 2027, although the airport has not yet selected a private contractor.
The TSA released a revised request for proposals last week to select companies for its Gold+ program, planning to hand out a 10-year multiple-award contract.
