Don’t gamble with airport security

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The Editorial Board cited several relevant examples of successful private security screening in foreign airports. However, it did not mention a compelling example close to America: Canada.

Indeed, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority was established in 2002 as part of an enhanced air travel security system after Sept. 11, 2001. CATSA directly employs about 400 full-time staff and contracts with various private security companies that employ about 8,000 officers to conduct screening at airports across Canada. These officers apply rigorous standards established by this government agency and wear CATSA uniforms.

By entrusting such private security agents to provide security instead of unionized bureaucrats, Canadian airports have ended up outperforming their American counterparts on most metrics. A 2017 study by the Heritage Foundation found that Canada spent about 40 percent less per capita on aviation security than the U.S. and approximately 15 percent less per traveler. Yet, despite these lower costs, in 2016, CATSA screened 159 travelers per hour, compared with 150 for TSA.

Canada’s model of highly trained private security professionals providing preboarding security screening and physical security at airports could thus serve as a concrete source of inspiration for the long-awaited changes for TSA, helping it deliver a more efficient and cost-effective service to the traveling public in the United States. Canada’s experience over the past two decades also illustrates that these policy objectives can be achieved without conceding an inch in terms of security standards.

Michel Kelly-Gagnon is Founding President of the MEI. The views reflected in this opinion piece are his own.