Airport security nationwide can improve, if the major airports work cooperatively with private sector companies – and federal funding is made available – the CEO of Denver International Airport recently told U.S. Senate members.

Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., introduced Kim Day at a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation subcommittee hearing to consider how to improve the Transportation Security Administration and airport passenger security.

“Like most airports, we were not built to house the current TSA security checkpoints,” Day said. “… Our configuration makes the location of our TSA security checkpoints a glaring vulnerability, as hundreds of passengers (line up) and TSA agents work in a pre-security area that is open and exposed from above.”

DIA numbers fuel need for changes

DIA, the sixth busiest airport in the U.S. and 19th busiest in the world, served a record-setting 54 million passengers in 2015. Officials expected to reach 58.3 million passengers last year, a nearly 8 percent increase, Day told the committee.

DIA is also the top economic engine in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region, according to a study by the Colorado Department of Transportation. With more than $26 billion in annual economic benefits, DIA directly employs 35,000 workers with another 155,000 indirect jobs.

Day said DIA was in the final stages of negotiating a public-private partnership to reconfigure its main terminal.

“We have sought expertise from stakeholders and innovators. And we have reached out to TSA to work collaboratively on a new vision for our checkpoints,” she said. “But we need the federal government’s help as well. We don’t simply want to move the same, frankly antiquated, systems as we overhaul our main terminal. We are doing everything we can and are committed to this effort, but we also need federal funding.”

Day said airport security is a federal responsibility and DIA needed to be able to lean on TSA as a “real partner,” and the two entities signed a memorandum of understanding to work together on innovation. Since then, DIA and TSA officials had visited several international airports to see how recent innovations had made screening more efficient and secure.

Day said TSA had worked hard to increase enrollment in PreCheck, the agency’s expedited security screening program, and noted DIA had the highest number of applicants of any U.S. airport. But Day added there was much more that could be done.

“First, there’s really no need to have an agent greet you, check your ticket and identification,” she said. “That’s a huge bottleneck in the system, it uses up critical labor resources, and it’s more efficient and secure to automate that system without compromising security.”

Changes can include adding several spaces at the checkpoint where people can simultaneously empty their pockets and remove computers and shoes, she added, along with screening systems that divert bags and people needing secondary screening out of the line.

“With simple steps like these – already in practice at Amsterdam Schiphol and London Heathrow airports – we can take that pressure off travelers and allow TSA to focus on screening and not line management,” she noted.

Day said the committee should encourage TSA to continue its Innovation Task Force, which aims to foster “next-generation aviation security capabilities and flexible solutions” and includes the TSA, airport authorities, air carriers and industry.

“We see a future where we integrate existing technology, passenger segmentation and systems integration so that the screening process begins the moment you book your ticket,” Day testified. “Perhaps there are opportunities to integrate portions of the screening process into the check-in process itself.”

Two funding sources could help

Day stated there were two ways Congress can help fund airport security improvements.

“We would urge you to discontinue the practice of diverting TSA security fee revenues for non-security purposes, including deficit reduction,” she said. “This year, we understand that $1.28 billion in TSA security fee revenue will be diverted away from security for other purposes.”

Day said over 10 years, nearly $13 billion could be available to address many airport security challenges.

The passenger facility charge, a local airport user fee specifically for local projects, is another funding source.

“Airports operate under very strict FAA regulations that come with federal grants for capital projects,” Day stated. “(This fee) is slightly more flexible and is often a critical part of an airport’s security obligations. Yet the $4.50 cap has not been raised in over 16 years and it has not been indexed to inflation.”

Gardner promotes bill to address issues

Last July, Gardner’s SCREEN FAST Act was included with the FAA Extension, Safety and Security Act of 2016. The bill created two pilot programs to increase efficiency and security at airports and set up prototypes for new and innovative screening techniques.

During the hearing, Gardner said he would send a letter to the TSA, urging them to move quickly to carry out the security reforms in his legislation.

“I urge you to move forward in the establishment of these pilot programs through the Innovative Task Force to facilitate a collaborative process between the TSA and our nation’s large airports to develop innovative solutions for our security screening,” Gardner wrote in his letter to Huban Gowadia, acting TSA administrator.