Airport and airline employees will be subject to increased random security checks as part of the Transportation Security Administration’s enhanced strategy to improve safety of passengers and workers.
A memo from TSA states that employees who are allowed to skip security checkpoints should expect to be screened again if they wish to board a plane or re-enter secure areas.
The random checks, which began in December and will continue through next year, might allow the Department of Homeland Security to detect employees attempting to smuggle weapons or illegal substances onto a plane, according to the Associated Press.
The federal agency cited recent events, including the explosion of a Russian plane that had departed an Egyptian airport, as reason for adding a new step.
“The TSA Administrator and I have recently concluded that we need to double-down on these airport security efforts and will be consulting with airports and airlines to do so,” DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a Nov. 30 statement.
