TSA is reportedly making plans to get rid of the KCM program. The Known Crew Member program allows pilots and airline staff to skip the line at airports across the country. Since its inception in 2011, the program has expedited the screening process for crew members.
Abuse Of KCM By Crew Members
According to the TSA, there have been too many cases where the KCM program gets abused. Under the new program, Expedited Crew Access, or ECA, quicker access would still be given, just under some additional restrictions.
“As the name suggests, crew members won’t be subjected to full passenger screening but potentially something more akin to TSA PreCheck,” Mateusz Maszczynski of paddleyourownkanoo.com writes. “It could also emulate the screening methods that all international crew members passing through U.S. airports are currently subjected to, in which there are no limits on liquids.”
Cases Of Abuse This Year
Although most cabin crew members use the KCM program as intended, the few cases of abuse tend to be under the most extreme circumstances.
In the last few months, we’ve had plenty of news stories of flight attendants transporting illegal firearms or trafficking drugs. In one instance, an off-duty flight attendant in san Diego was caught with three pounds of fentanyl strapped to her body. Other crew members have been found with loaded weapons and a kilo of methamphetamine.
Although switching programs would make things easier for the TSA, let’s keep in mind as travelers, we would hate for crew members to be late to their airlines. Flight attendants and pilots have every right to skip the line if it means I’ll be able to leave the airport on time.
