The TSA will adopt changes to its Known Crewmember (KCM) program in January, expanding participation for pilots and flight attendants in Part 135 and Part 125 operations.

Developed for the airline industry in 2011, the program allows quick identification of authorized crewmembers and verification of their employment status to ease access to sterile areas at airports. “The airlines were providing a lot of information for the TSA and to each other via the Cockpit Access Security System, and some of the union organizations began to press to make this information available to be used to expedite crewmember screening,” explained Thomas Hendricks, president and CEO of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). Before joining NATA, Hendricks served as senior vice president with Airlines for America (A4A), and led the team that implemented the program. “We worked closely with TSA to develop a program that recognized the high degree of vetting that crewmembers undergo and provide them with alternative screening at airports, so that the TSA could focus its resources on travelers that they know much less about.”

Under a pilot program that began last year, charter crewmembers were allowed to participate in KCM under certain strict conditions, which required an operator to apply with the TSA to modify its individual security plan. “NATA convinced the TSA to include Part 135 charter and private charter Part 125 crewmembers in the program because the vetting was the same for those crewmembers and we felt from a risk perspective there was no difference from airline crewmembers,” Hendricks told AIN. “After several months of this proof-of-concept program for this community, the TSA decided to modify the entire security program.” As a result, individual companies will no longer have to apply for a TSA exemption to be included in KCM.

The change, which will take effect on January 13, involves only those operators that are regulated under the 12-5 Security Program and/or the Private Charter Security Program, which have been approved through the NATA Compliance Services (Natacs) website. Hendricks added that those operators that also hold a Part 121 certificate will still be processed through the A4A program.

The program is intended to provide real-time status updates and operators are required to notify the TSA and Natacs immediately of any changes in crew employment. According to NATA, the fee schedule for operators is dependent upon the number of employees each company enrolls.

 “We thank TSA for working with NATA staff to expand this risk-based security initiative by making KCM available to additional crewmembers,” said Hendricks, who noted last month that nearly three dozen companies have been enrolled in the program since it was announced in late December. “With the inclusion of private charter and 12-5 operators in KCM, these changes have the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of airport checkpoint screening and enhance safety for all travelers.”