These 20 US airports don't use TSA screeners — and Trump wants more to go private

A TSA checkpoint at San Francisco International Airport. There are 20 US airports that employ private contractors instead of federal TSA screeners. These airports have maintained normal operations during government shutdowns. TSA recently scrapped its Gold+ program and announced a new strategy to encourage privatization. Under President Donald Trump, the Transportation Security Administration is seeking to replace federal TSA screeners with private contractors in more airport security lines. Twenty US airports already use private screeners through the TSA's Screening Partnership Program, or SPP, which launched in 2004 and operates under TSA oversight. Eight are Montana airports, including several small regional ones served by Cape Air, though San Francisco — one of the US' busiest airports — is also on the list. The operational difference became especially apparent during the two government shutdowns in 2025 and 2026. TSA staffing shortages due to missed paychecks created airport chaos and hourslong wait times at airports like Houston Hobby and Atlanta; travelers in San Francisco waited just minutes. After scrapping its recently introduced TSA Gold+ program — which sought to expand private airport security screening under federal oversight but faced union opposition — the TSA announced a new strategy, Horizon 25, on Monday. Named in recognition of the TSA's 25th anniversary, the agency said the initiative aims to "accelerate public-private partnerships" through an evolved SPP, modernize TSA checkpoints, and enhance TSA PreCheck. The broader privatization push has faced criticism from opponents, who argue that the competitive nature of such partnership programs could compromise aviation safety and worsen working conditions. White House officials, meanwhile, have said it would save money. As the Trump administration pushes for more privatization of airport security, take a look at the airports across the US that haven't had TSA screeners for years. Atlantic City International Airport — Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey A view of the exterior of the Atlantic City International Airport located in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, on Thursday, July 10, 2025. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport — Santa Rosa, California The entrance to the TSA security checkpoint and gate area at tiny Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, California. Avelo Airlines began service from the airport in 2021. Sonoma County Airport USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect Dawson Community Airport — Glendive, Montana A Cessna 402 light twin, piston engine aircraft operating for Cape Air - Hyannis Air Service airline as seen landing at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport JFK in NY. The airplane is a 402C and has the registration N26156. November 14 2019, NY, Great Falls International Airport — Great Falls, Montana Belview neighborhood of Great Falls and the Great Falls International Airport seen from south of Great Falls. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect Glacier Park International Airport — Kalispell, Montana Kalispell, Montana. Cavan Images / /Cavan Images RF Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport — Rochester, New York Rochester International Airport. Business Wire Havre City-County Airport — Havre, Montana HAVRE, MT. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2005 - Story about race relations between native americans and whites in the northern Montana town of Havre. An article on racism in Havre written by a University of Montana journalism student has put the town of 10,000 into the spotlight. The article appeared in three major newspapers in Montana. The main drag is First Street in Havre during the quiet morning hours.The town is the largest city between the Rocky Boy's Reservation and the Fort Belknap Reservation. (DENVER POST PHOTO BY CYRUS MCCRIMMON cell: 303 358 9990, home 303 370 1054) Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post via Getty Images Kansas City International Airport — Kansas City, Missouri A sign at the Kansas City International Airport (MCI) entrance, Friday, April 28, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. L. M. Clayton Airport — Wolf Point, Montana Scenery along highway 2 at Wolf Point, Montana. Orlando Sanford International Airport — Sanford, Florida Sanford, FL USA - May 13, 2021: People waiting in the gate area to board a planes at the Sanford International Airport in Sanford, Florida with informational signs overhead pointing to gates and baggage claim. Portsmouth International Airport — Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth International Airport at Pease sees an estimated 70,000-plus flights per year, according to officials. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect Punta Gorda Airport — Punta Gorda, Florida An Allegiant plane at Punta Gorda Airport. Roswell Air Center — Roswell, New Mexico Farms are seen as Air Force One approaches Roswell International Air Center June 17, 2016 in Roswell, New Mexico. / AFP / San Francisco International Airport — San Francisco, California SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 23: A view of International Terminal at (SFO) San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, United States on March 23, 2026. Sarasota Bradenton International Airport — Sarasota, Florida Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) in Sarasota, Florida, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. Airline losses from the coronavirus pandemic are set to surpass $200 billion as travel curbs weigh on corporate and long-haul demand well into 2022, according to the industrys main lobby. Photographer: Sidney-Richland Municipal Airport — Sidney, Montana Sidney, Montana. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Sioux Falls Regional Airport — Sioux Falls, South Dakota The drop-off area of the airport from the parking garage on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport in Sioux Falls. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect Tupelo Regional Airport — Tupelo, Mississippi TUPELO, MS - NOVEMBER 26: The crowd looks on as Air Force One, with President Donald Trump onboard, lands ahead of a rally at the Tupelo Regional Airport, November 26, 2018 in Tupelo, Mississippi. President Trump is holding two rallies on Monday in Mississippi, in support of Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Cindy Hyde-Smith, who faces off against Democratic candidate Mike Espy in a runoff election on Tuesday. Wokal Field/Glasgow Valley Airport — Glasgow, Montana Glasgow, Montana. Yellowstone Airport — West Yellowstone, Montana WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONTANA - MAY 16: An arriving passenger departs from a United airplane in the gateway town of West Yellowstone on May 16, 2026 in West Yellowstone, Montana. Yellowstone National Park became the nation's first national park on March 1, 1872, when President Ulysses S. Grant signed a congressional act protecting the land "for the benefit and enjoyment of the people." Today, the 2.2-million-acre park thrives as part of one of Earth's last nearly intact large temperate ecosystems, famously preserving over 10,000 hydrothermal features and around 500 geysers—roughly 50 percent of the world's total. Boasting the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states, Yellowstone stands as the only place in the U.S. where bison have roamed continuously since prehistoric times. Native American communities inhabited and conserved the lands for over 10,000 years, with 27 individual tribes recognized by the National Park Service as carrying modern-day and historic ties to Yellowstone. National Park Week will celebrate America's 250th anniversary with a weeklong celebration in August featuring hundreds of commemorative events at many of America's 433 national parks under the theme "Celebrate America's Story". Read the original article on Business Insider

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