Feds Take Over XNA Screening

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration announced on Nov. 6 that it will take over the passenger and baggage screening process at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Highfill.

TSA, which is responsible for civil aviation security, is in the process of establishing security operations at airports nationwide.

In addition to beefing-up the existing X-ray machines at XNA, Jerry Henderson, TSA’s federal security director for Arkansas, said TSA will add six or eight “explosive trace detection machines” in the airport and one outside at a new curb check-in area.

Kelly Johnson, director of XNA, said airlines there had been using International Total Systems Inc. of Cleveland to screen passengers and baggage. But TSA will take over the passenger screening at XNA by Nov. 19 and the baggage screening by Dec. 31.

ITS had about 23 employees at XNA, Johnson said. TSA will employ about 11 former ITS screeners as part of its workforce of 36 at XNA, Henderson said. That workforce will grow to about 50 by the end of the year.

ITS will also begin providing curbside check-inservices at XNA on Nov. 15 as part of an agreement with American Airlines, American Eagle and American Connection.

An ITS employee will check boarding passes at the gate, but all other screening processes will be done by TSA employees.

“There’s a lot of testing that goes on,” Johnson said of the TSA employees. “They had 1.5 million people apply for the 40,000 jobs they had available.”

Johnson said the additional security measures won’t cost airline passengers any more than they are currently paying for tickets.