Published 25 Jul, 2012
Flight attendants who are members of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) applaud the U.S. Transportation Security Administration decision to include flight attendants in its Known Crewmember (KCM) initiative, which will offer identity verification and expedited security screening to flight attendants employed by U.S.-based airlines.
“We appreciate the recognition given our professional flight attendants – who are safety professionals and first responders – by the TSA Administrator,” said TWU International President James C. Little. “In addition to expediting crew member screening and allowing TSA to focus on real security threats, we believe this will also assist in the flow of other passengers as they transition through the airport security lanes.”
There are many benefits for including Flight Attendants in KCM. It is recognizing the important role they have as first responders and as integral members of a security team charged with ensuring the safety of air transportation. Reporting to work with procedures that support their role is paramount. For the TSA, alternate screening allows resources to be focused more on improving security through risk-based screening.
It will also benefit the traveling public because KCM will reduce the number of individuals passing through TSA passenger checkpoints and will remove obstacles to the timely arrival of crewmembers reporting for duty at the aircraft.
To have Flight Attendants and Pilots in the same KCM program recognizes that all crewmembers are subject to the same intense screening and background checks, and all crewmembers are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.
We applaud the TSA for their efforts as well as the efforts of our allies in the industry and in government for supporting this.
Launched in 2011, the KCM program is currently limited to U.S. airline pilots and is a program of expedited screening for authorized and trusted crew members at security screening checkpoints utilizing established security clearances that each aviation employee clears as a condition of employment. Flight attendants could begin to experience expedited screening as early as the fall 2012.