"TSA issues the RFP [request for proposal] and selects and manages the contractor" that steps in, said Michael McCarron, director of community affairs at San Francisco International...The linked article is well-sourced, accounting for many of those who have a hand in making the airport security sausage.
"TSA sets the security standards that must be followed and that includes the use of enhanced pat-downs and imaging technology, if installed at the airport," said TSA spokesperson Greg Soule...
"We aim to ensure that the highest level of security is balanced by the most passenger-friendly service possible," said Nancy Suey Castle, a spokesperson for Los Angeles World Airports. "Contracting private screeners could be a method to achieve this goal."
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Airports toy with the idea of tossing the TSA
The interaction between airport managers and the TSA (part rule-setting government agency and part airport service provider) makes for interesting reading. This morning's MSNBC.com article, "Airports toy with the idea of tossing the TSA" makes it clear that while the TSA doesn't quite have a security services monopoly, they do set the rules of the industry in which they compete.
