The US Transportation Security Administration has dropped Gold+ as a standalone airport security programme and will fold private-sector participation into an evolved Screening Partnership Program under its Horizon 25 strategy. The change preserves TSA’s plan to expand private screening at airport checkpoints nationwide while ending the newer Gold+ branding and model.
Tampa International Airport, one of the earliest airports to opt into Gold+, had already prepared to move towards the programme before the federal shift. Charleston International Airport and Des Moines International Airport were also among the first airports identified for the initiative, which had been launched in May.
TSA Administrator David P. Cummins framed the revised approach as part of a broader effort to modernise checkpoints, improve the traveller experience and sustain operational resilience. The agency will continue to oversee screening standards, while private contractors remain part of the framework through the updated SPP structure.
For airports that had begun planning for Gold+, the policy reversal will force a reset on transition timelines and contracting work. The move leaves intact the wider public-private partnership direction for airport screening, but channels it through a more familiar TSA model.