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 nation's airports and aircraft. One of the largest group 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 on traveling passengers and preventing these objects and their carriers from boarding planes. Also included in this group of ...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Before the responsibility for airline security was transferred to the TSA, screeners were paid minimum wage. But to attract and retain qualified and dedicated workers, earnings have been raised considerably. Security screeners who worked for the federal government earned mean annual salaries of $41,720 in May 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Salaries for all security screeners r...
Work Environment
Any job in airport security is demanding and stressful, especially during high periods of travel, such as the holidays. Screeners face physical challenges of standing, bending, and lifting during their shifts, while having to maintain 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 work...
Outlook
Employment for airport security screeners is expected to grow by about 1 percent, or more slowly than the average, through 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. 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 direct...
