Transportation Security Screeners
Conduct screening of passengers, baggage, or cargo to ensure compliance with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations. May operate basic security equipment such as x-ray machines and hand wands at screening checkpoints.
Also known as: Airline Security Representative, Airport Baggage Screener, Airport Screener, Airport Security Screener, Bag Checker, Baggage Inspector, Baggage Screener, Baggage Security Checker, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Declining)
What You'd Do
- Ask passengers to remove shoes and divest themselves of metal objects prior to walking through metal detectors.
- Check passengers' tickets to ensure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling, such as providing photo identification.
- Close entry areas following security breaches or reopen areas after receiving notification that the airport is secure.
- Confiscate dangerous items and hazardous materials found in opened bags and turn them over to airlines for disposal.
- Contact leads or supervisors to discuss objects of concern that are not on prohibited object lists.
- Contact police directly in cases of urgent security issues, using phones or two-way radios.
- Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through.
- Direct passengers to areas where they can pick up their baggage after screening is complete.
- Inform other screeners when baggage should not be opened because it might contain explosives.
- Inform passengers of how to mail prohibited items to themselves, or confiscate these items.
- Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation.
- Inspect checked baggage for signs of tampering.
- Monitor passenger flow through screening checkpoints to ensure order and efficiency.
- Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur.
- Perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches.
- Record information about any baggage that sets off alarms in monitoring equipment.
- Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons.
- Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment.
- Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems.
- Watch for potentially dangerous persons whose pictures are posted at checkpoints.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
Related Careers
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.