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The proposal would ask the airport to study whether private security contractors could operate screening checkpoints.
A member of the Atlanta City Council wants the city to explore whether private security companies could handle passenger screening at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport instead of federal officers from the Transportation Security Administration.
Councilman Byron Amos said recent problems with long security lines at the airport underscore the need to explore other options.
The proposal would ask the airport to study whether private security contractors could operate screening checkpoints under the federal government’s Screening Partnership Program.
For weeks, travelers at the Atlanta airport dealt with long waits at security checkpoints. The delays came as federal security officers worked without pay during a partial government shutdown.
Amos said the situation hurt the city’s image.
“Unfortunately, it does reflect negatively on the airport and the city, and it’s something that is totally out of our control,” Amos said.
New data from the Department of Homeland Security also showed staffing challenges among federal screeners, with roughly 1 in 5 officers calling out during the period of delays.
Amos said the issue highlights how dependent the airport is on federal staffing decisions.
“We are the world’s most busiest airport,” he said. “We should not be held captive or be a victim to the budget woes of the government.”
The councilman said he is not proposing an immediate switch to private security. Instead, he wants the city to examine whether it could work.
Under the federal program, private companies can handle security screening while still following federal rules and oversight.
The study would also look at what could happen to the federal officers currently working at the airport.
Amos said the city would want to consider ways for existing workers to stay employed if a change happens.
“If we change over, how can we hire some of the former TSA workers, or current TSA workers that would like to come and work for the private entity once it’s established,” he said.
The proposal still needs to move through the Atlanta City Council process. That could take several weeks.
If approved, the airport would then have 90 days to complete a study on the possibility of using private security screening.
Amos said the goal is to keep the airport operating as efficiently as possible.
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