Agency experiencing lowest attrition and highest retention rates in its entire history, touts largest screening workforce since the agency’s inception
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) marked another successful year, making significant strides to improve security and safeguard transportation systems, accelerate action and commit to our people. TSA and its partners remain ahead of threats to transportation security through a vigilant workforce, continuing to deploy technology, and new processes that increase security effectiveness, efficiency and the customer experience. The agency has also seen vast improvement in employee morale, retention and recruitment.
“Last year, we reached a historic milestone with the highest passenger volumes and the largest screening workforce in the agency’s history – an achievement that reflects the dedication, resilience and vigilance of our people across the agency,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “In the face of record travel volumes and evolving threats to transportation, our workforce has risen to every challenge by remaining agile with unwavering professionalism, ensuring the safety of the traveling public and security of our transportation systems. I am immensely proud of their commitment to our mission, and the incredible support we continue to receive in our partnerships across government and the travel industry. We look forward to continuing this progress with more technology enhancements and better policies and procedures to increase security effectiveness, efficiency and the customer experience in 2025.”
In 2024, TSA:
- Screened 904 million passengers, a more than 5% increase from 2023 and increase of 17% from 2022. Screened 494 million checked bags and over 2 billion carry-on items. TSA set an agency record on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the agency’s busiest holiday travel period on record, screening 3.1 million people.
- Prevented 6,678 firearms from getting into the secure areas of airports and onboard aircraft.
- Trained and deployed more than 100 new explosives detection canine teams, joining more than 1,100 canine teams. Deployed canine teams to national security events such as Super Bowl LVII, Formula 1 Las Vegas and the Kentucky Derby.
- Decreased overall workforce attrition 6.7% from 2022 to 2024. Screening workforce attrition decreased 7.3% from 2022 to 2024.
- Hired over 8,760 new Transportation Security Officers and Security Support Assistants across the country. The TSA screening workforce is the largest it’s ever been.
- Achieved a nearly 50% response rate on the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). TSA’s Employee Engagement Index, a key metric focusing on employee engagement and morale. Saw a 5% increase since 2022, and an overall 66% favorable rating – the highest level in TSA’s history. FAMS FEVS scores were among some of the most improved across TSA in 2024.
- Reached a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the American Federation of Government Employees. The agreement provides enhanced shift trade options for TSOs, increases uniform allowances and adds parental bereavement and weather and safety leave.
- Placed renewed focus on TSA’s customer experience efforts to enhance TSA’s security mission; better customer service leads to better security.
- The TSA Contact Center answered 2.2 million traveler calls and emails.
- AskTSA responded directly to three million inquiries, typically within two minutes, over social media and via text at 275-872.
- The TSA Cares helpline assisted 69,000 travelers with disabilities, medical conditions and other special needs.
- Published the People and Culture Roadmap that outlines TSA’s strategy for developing a culture of trust, belonging and respect and published TSA’s Communication Strategy, which guides the agency in communicating with TSA’s audiences in a timely, accurate and transparent manner.
- Added facial recognition technology to 1,407 Credential Authentication Technology identity verification units, which improves security and accuracy, is faster and has strong privacy protections in place. Added 99 Computed Tomography X-Rays at checkpoints to improve security effectiveness, reduce physical contact and increase the customer experience and convenience. Total deployed Advanced Imaging Technology units, with improved algorithms that lessen the need for pat downs, rose to 1,100.
- Added 14 new airlines, enrolled 3.3 million new members, and renewed 2.1 million members in the TSA PreCheck Trusted Traveler Program. Reached a milestone of more than 20 million enrolled members (more than 40 million in the DHS Trusted Traveler Program) and added CLEAR as an enrollment provider, joining IDEMIA and Telos.
- Issued Next Generation Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) cards to the over 245,000 TWIC holders since July.
- Facilitated the expansion of mobile driver’s licenses, a more secure form of identification compared to physical credentials, in seven additional states. TSA accepts digital IDs from residents of 15 states at select airport security checkpoints equipped with digital ID readers.
- Reissued five performance-based cybersecurity requirements for pipelines and railroads to continue to strengthen their resilience against cyberattacks.
- Continued to inspect more than 250 last points-of-departure airports (LPDs), using the highest aviation security standards, to ensure they meet these stringent security standards.
- Made significant progress in the One Stop Security program, which was authorized by Congress for TSA to conduct One Stop Security pilots at up to six foreign LPDs. TSA completed comprehensive aviation security screening assessments on four foreign airports with an eye towards commencing One Stop operations in 2025. Through the One Stop Security program, there is international cooperation and mutual recognition of security standards between United States and foreign countries and is designed to streamline the security process for passengers connecting through U.S. airports from select international locations, eliminating the need for additional TSA screening for passengers and their luggage. TSA to announce One Stop Security updates and locations in early 2025.
- Continued to strengthen industry partnerships. TSA collaborated with the U.S. Travel Association and newly established Commission on Seamless and Secure Travel through a series of field engagements and information sharing. Through the airport partnership program, airports donated over $90 million in checkpoint equipment to TSA.
- Announced final rules for the Frequency of Renewal Cycle for Indirect Air Carrier Security Programs, and Minimum Standards for Driver’s Licenses and Identification Cards Acceptable by Federal Agencies for Official Purposes and Waiver for Mobile Driver’s Licenses.
- Published Notices of Proposed Rulemaking ahead of published rule on REAL ID Phased Enforcement starting May 7, 2025 and Enhancing Surface Cyber Risk Management.
- Published a final rule for the Flight Training Security Program to improve its efficiency and effectiveness, including the security threat assessment process for flight training students.
As adversaries adapt their tactics and new threats arise, TSA’s law enforcement arm continues to adjust approaches to transportation security to meet and defend against these threats, namely:
- The TSA Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS):
- Provided intelligence-based security on thousands of missions in both the air and on the ground.
- Supported other federal agencies with their unique security needs while still continuing to conduct our transportation security mission.
- Conducted 6,700 VIPR operations, trained over 5,700 crewmembers in self-defense and hosted 27 training program classes for new Federal Flight Deck Officers.
- Over the last two years, TSA FAMS:
- Hired over 500 employees, achieving more than 95% of hiring goals for both years.
- Improved FAMS employee satisfaction, which increased by 25% between 2022 and 2024. In the 2024 FEVS, over 54% of the FAMS workforce participated and 78% of respondents said they are satisfied with their jobs.
- Improved FAMS engagement in their jobs. Engagement increased by 8% between 2022 and 2024. Global satisfaction across FAMS increased by 25% between 2022 and 2024.
- Federal Flight Deck Officers covered over 1 million domestic and international flights.
- Special Agents developed evidence of human trafficking in 32 criminal specific and pre-employment examinations. They continued to partner with Homeland Security Investigations through the Computer Crimes Center (C3), Angel Watch, Center for Countering Human Trafficking, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Program and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Download the TSA 2024 Year in Review: By the Numbers infographic.
SOURCE Transportation Security Administration
