The Hill
Max Rego
25 August 2026
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Monday it will phase out its new Gold+ private airport screening program, opting instead to optimize its existing Screening Partnership Program (SPP).
TSA unveiled the change as part of its Horizon 25 Strategy, named in honor of the agency’s 25th anniversary. The strategy will home in on modernizing TSA checkpoints, elevating the traveler experience and hardening multimodal transportation security, the agency noted.
TSA launched the Gold+ program earlier this year, allowing airports to enter partnerships with private contractors to handle their security and screening operations. Agency officials said private security firms would be able to tailor security measures for individual airports, while complying with overarching federal standards.
But TSA is shelving the short-lived initiative in favor of an “evolved” SPP, through which 20 airports outsource screening services to private companies — with the federal agency overseeing operations...
Gold+ airport screening program shelved by TSA - The Hill - 25 August 2026
