TSA Invites Private Tech to Reinvent Checkpoints

Monday, July 28, 2025

Robotic baggage scanner under bright lights at an airport security checkpoint illustrates TSA automation.

Air travelers could soon breeze through checkpoints without stopping to untie shoes or remove laptops, if the Transportation Security Administration gets its way. On July 25, the agency issued a Request for Information inviting companies to deliver "turnkey" systems that blend artificial intelligence, robotics, and remote screening. Responses are due by August 1. The initiative builds on Homeland Security's recent decision to scrap the 22-year-old shoes-off rule and signals the biggest rethink of U.S. Airport Security since 2006.

Key Points

Why it matters: Could end manual bag checks and shrink security lines nationwide
RFI seeks AI, robotics, and modular tech to cut costs and boost throughput
Companies must file proposals on SAM.gov by August 1
Shoes-off rule already gone; laptop-out rule may follow
Privacy advocates warn of biometric data risks and job losses

Snapshot

Released just three weeks after the long-awaited reversal of the shoes-off rule, TSA's 21-page RFI lays out an ambitious wish list. The agency wants end-to-end packages that can screen passengers, carry-ons, and checked bags using cloud-connected AI, machine learning, and robotic conveyors. Vendors are asked to design systems that slash operating costs, maintain federal performance standards, and keep lines moving during staffing crunches or holiday surges. Remote image analysis is encouraged, meaning suspicious bags could be evaluated off-site by certified officers. TSA also stresses the need for quick installation at airports of every size, from hubs like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to small regional fields.

Background

Airport Security in the United States has relied on a heavily manual checkpoint model since the TSA replaced private screeners in late 2001. Over time, incremental upgrades-millimeter-wave body scanners, computed-tomography carry-on scanners, and expanded TSA PreCheck lanes-have reduced some friction yet failed to solve chronic wait times. Pandemic retirements and seasonal worker shortages intensified the strain, prompting congressional scrutiny of ballooning overtime costs. Budget documents show TSA spent $2.6 billion on checkpoint operations last year, about 42 percent of its total budget. Officials argue that fully automated lanes could curb those costs and reduce injury rates among baggage screeners. The Trump Administration's transportation team believes the answer lies in outsourcing innovation rather than headcount. Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill says the RFI will "unleash the marketplace" while preserving federal oversight. Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union and airport-worker unions, fear a drift toward privatization and deeper biometric surveillance.

Latest Developments

Industry scramble to meet tight August 1 deadline

The RFI, posted on SAM.gov at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on July 25, leaves vendors just eight calendar days to register questions and deliver full concept papers by August 1. That compressed timeline is unusual even by federal procurement standards, signaling urgent political backing from the White House and Congress. Eligible respondents range from aviation-security stalwarts like Leidos and Smiths Detection to start-ups handling robotic logistics in e-commerce warehouses. TSA says it may down-select promising ideas for live demonstrations as soon as the upcoming Thanksgiving travel rush. The agency wants turnkey packages that include design, installation, maintenance, and training-an approach meant to bypass the slow patchwork upgrades that have frustrated travelers for a decade. Companies must also prove cyber-resilience, show how they will handle sensitive passenger data, and ensure uptime during peak periods such as Fourth of July or New Year's weekends.

Shoes-on today, laptops-in-bags tomorrow

Travelers are already seeing early fruits of TSA's modernization push. The July 8 reversal of the shoes-off mandate removed one of the most visible post-9/11 rituals. Next on the wish list is eliminating the laptop-and-liquids shuffle that slows every lane except the newest CT scanners. TSA officials confirm that laptop-in-bag screening is technically feasible but hinges on nationwide deployment of higher-resolution imaging and automated threat recognition. Under the new RFI, vendors must show their systems can detect concealed explosives and firearms even when electronics, toiletries, and jackets stay inside luggage. Frequent flyers hope such capabilities, combined with biometric identity matching, could compress the average domestic screening time to under three minutes-half today's norm at busy hubs like Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Privacy and labor questions intensify

Civil-liberty advocates and labor representatives are pushing back. The ACLU warns that remote screening and Facial Recognition create "black-box" decisions with limited human recourse. Meanwhile, the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents roughly 45,000 TSA officers, says large-scale automation threatens middle-class federal jobs. TSA stresses that officers would still adjudicate alarms and oversee technology, but the union contends fewer officers per lane would erode safety and customer service. Privacy experts add that any cloud-based solution must comply with the REAL ID Act and the Privacy Act, requiring clear data-retention policies and opt-out procedures. Congressional oversight hearings are expected this fall, and lawmakers are already asking whether private contractors will be subject to the same inspection regime and Freedom of Information rules that bind federal staff.

Analysis

From a strategic perspective, TSA's decision to court end-to-end checkpoint vendors reveals how far the agency has drifted from its post-9/11 roots. For two decades, the agency relied on incremental hardware swaps overseen by an in-house engineering staff that prized uniformity over speed. That model could not keep pace with double-digit passenger growth and constant threat evolution. The new RFI effectively invites industry to propose a fresh architecture-one closer to the "smart factory" ethos dominating logistics and retail. Machine-learned object recognition, robotic totes, and remote analyst centers could together deliver continuous screening with fewer choke points, mimicking Amazon's fulfillment approach rather than a traditional TSA lane. Yet wholesale reliance on proprietary systems shifts risk from federal budgets to traveler trust. Private providers may guard algorithmic details under trade-secret law, limiting independent audits for bias or error rates. If a false positive strands a wheelchair user or separates a parent from a child, the public will blame TSA, not an unseen subcontractor. The agency must therefore craft contracts that guarantee transparency, redress, and Cybersecurity as rigorously as cost savings. Political context also matters. Republicans praise the initiative as an efficiency play, while some Democrats frame it as stealth privatization. With a divided Congress heading into the 2026 midterms, TSA will need bipartisan proof that technology can both accelerate throughput and uphold civil rights. Ahead of any pilot deployment, independent testing at the Transportation Security Laboratory in Atlantic City will be essential to reassure skeptics that AI does not become aviation's next Boeing 737 MAX moment.

Final Thoughts

For travelers weary of bare feet and bin-juggling, TSA's tech pivot offers hope for swifter, calmer journeys. But convenience will be sustainable only if new systems remain rock-solid under the twin pressures of record passenger volumes and sophisticated threats. The forthcoming August 1 Proposal stack should reveal whether industry can deliver breakthrough performance without creating fresh vulnerabilities or widening the privacy divide. Until then, the smartest move for frequent flyers is to keep enrollment in TSA PreCheck current and watch for pilot-lane announcements at major airports, where the future of Airport Security will debut.