Responding to a spate of complaints from United States airline pilots and their unions over security screening procedures, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Friday announced expedited screening measures for U.S. air carrier pilots to pass through security checkpoints into the sterile area of the nation’s airports based on their trusted status.
Under the new regime that is being phased in, eligible pilots in uniform who work for a U.S. carrier and are on airline business will present their airline-issued credentials and another form of identification to a Transportation Security Officer who will check the credentials against an existing flight deck crew member database to verify the person’s employment status. The Cockpit Access Security System database is based on digital photographs and biographical information.
Pilots may still be subject to random additional layers of screening such as Behavior Detection Officers, pat-downs, whole body imagers and more.
There has been some concern among pilots about the whole body imagers, which are being rolled out at airport checkpoints, but complaints have risen because of the more invasive pat-down procedure TSA implemented recently.
“Allowing these uniformed pilots, whose identity has been verified, to go through expedited screening at the checkpoint just makes for smart security and an efficient use of our resources,” TSA Administrator John Pistole said in a statement.
The new screening procedure is based on a system that was pilot tested beginning in 2008 called CrewPass. The Crew Personnel Advanced Screening System is still operating at three airports.
“An enhanced screening process for airline pilots will provide a higher level of security while moving them efficiently through checkpoints,” Capt. John Prater, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said in a statement. “As a result, airline pilots will be treated in a manner that reflects their trustworthiness and responsibility as professionals.”