Airport Security Personnel
Overview
Introduction
Airport security personnel is a blanket term that describes all workers who protect the safety of passengers and staff in the nations airports and aircraft. One of the largest groups of personnel in this line of work is transportation security officers (more commonly called security screeners), who are responsible for identifying dangerous objects or hazardous materials in baggage, cargo, or traveling passengers and preventing these objects and their carriers from boarding planes. Also included in this group of wor...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Before the responsibility for airline security was transferred to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), screeners were paid minimum wage. However, earnings have been considerably raised to attract and retain qualified, dedicated workers. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, security screeners who worked for the federal government earned a median annual salary of $50,020 in May...
Work Environment
Any job in airport security is demanding and stressful, especially during high travel periods, such as the holidays. Screeners face physical challenges of standing, bending, and lifting during their shifts while maintaining total visual focus on their X-ray machines or while searching individual passengers by hand.
The job of air marshals can be extremely stressful. These workers must be...
Outlook
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment of airport security screeners is projected to have little or no change from 2022-32. Despite better pay, security screeners still have high turnover rates due to the high demands involved with the job. This turnover will continue to create new jobs in the future. While jobs as air marshals and security directors will not be as plentiful, the...
