Known Crewmember Expanded for AFA Flight Attendants
AFA Flight Attendants at the following carriers now
have access to expedited security screening in over 30
airports across the country:
Alaska Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines
Horizon Air
Piedmont Airlines
PSA Airlines
United Airlines
US Airways
At the AFA Executive Board in September 2012,
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Associate
Administrator Doug Hofsass elaborated on plans for
inclusion of Flight Attendants in Known Crewmember (KCM)
security screening for Flight Attendants, acknowledging
that AFA worked tirelessly to secure Flight Attendant
inclusion in KCM screening. This alternate, expedited
security screening program launched by the TSA in 2011
was available only to Pilots prior to October 1.
While we anticipate that most Flight Attendants will
have access to KCM security screening by year’s end, it
is up to each individual carrier to commit to
participating in the program, as the airline must create
a database for the Flight Attendants. Our AFA leadership
will continue to work with our airline managements to
gain inclusion for all Flight Attendants where
appropriate.
Note: Crewmembers must be in uniform and have required
identification to use the KCM access point.
The following is a list of airports currently
participating in the Known Crewmember program:
Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood
Marshall Airport (BWI)
Boston Logan (BOS)
O'Hare International (ORD)
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
Chicago Midway International (MDW)
Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE)
Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW)
Denver International Airport (DEN)
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
(ATL)
We are excited to announce a milestone for our
profession: the Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) announced that Flight Attendants will be included
in Known Crewmember, or KCM. This alternate screening
program uses established security clearances related to
our employment as certified safety and security
professionals.
As first responders, Flight Attendants hold a primary stake in aviation
security. We are the last line of defense in aviation security onboard the
aircraft and we approach our role within the safety network with the utmost
seriousness. Known Crewmember recognizes our integral role in maintaining
US aviation safety.
Achieving Known Crewmember – A Priority for Our Union
AFA members helped to keep this important issue at the forefront. As the
leading advocate for Flight Attendant inclusion since the moment the program was
first conceived, we left no stone unturned to realize this accomplishment
announced today.
Our
union has advocated forcefully at many levels of government and industry to
secure Flight Attendant inclusion in KCM. Our advocacy spanned high level
appointees in the Obama Administration, including Department of Homeland
Secretary Janet Napolitano, TSA Administrator Pistole, Federal Aviation
Administration and Department of Transportation officials and Members of
Congress. Our Safety, Health and Security Department has diligently work
with technical experts to ensure a path for Flight Attendants to be included in
the program. AFA expert testimony and Congressional office visits helped
build momentum for Flight Attendant inclusion in the program with support from
Capitol Hill. In their unwavering support for Flight Attendants,
Congressional Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Bennie Thompson
(D-MS) and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) were champions of this issue, demanding
full recognition for Flight Attendants as members of the crew and the industry’s
most trusted travelers.
We applaud the TSA and Department of Homeland Security for implementing
risk-based security that strengthens our network and allows us to focus on real
threats. We will be working closely with the agency and our airlines to put the
program into practice in the near term and we encourage you to look for
additional details about the program to be posted on afacwa.org as
soon as they are announced.
Implementation of KCM
We commend the TSA for its commitment to risk-based security screening and for
working with AFA to implement KCM for Flight Attendants. We are dedicated
to continuing our partnership with the TSA and to ensuring the success of this
program. In addition, we will work with our airlines to press for Flight
Attendant population into KCM databases in a timely fashion. Working with our
airlines and the TSA, KCM can be introduced by year’s end at more than 30
airports, from coast to coast, implementing the same screening procedures for
all crewmembers.
We commend the Air Line Pilots Association, ALPA, our counterpart union in the
cockpit at many of our carriers, for its leadership in this process. ALPA
was part of the initial test phase which included a limited number of
crewmembers in a handful of airports. It was essential that this initial
testing phase with be fully vetted so that the program could proceed and expand
to include all crewmembers at significantly more airports.
Risk-Based Security and Program Benefits for Crew and Public
Let us be clear: KCM is not a means to bypass security. We continue to
support 100% screening of all individuals who have access to our airplanes.
It is an alternate, expedited screening process that utilizes real-time security
clearance for aviation crewmembers.
This program both recognizes our role as first responders and the last line of
defense, and it allows us to report to work with greater ease. Many of us
are working more hours than ever before and tens of thousands of us commute to
work by plane. Our lives will be improved by time not spent in a
traditional security checkpoint each and every time we pass through a KCM
airport.
Moreover, this will help to eliminate that most uncomfortable of situations
where, in order to get to the plane on time, we have to cut to the front of the
security line. This will not only benefit our passengers, it will also
allow the TSA to provide better service. The program is very good news for
everyone.
We are fully committed to providing Flight Attendants with the tools and
information necessary to ensure the success of this program and the integrity of
our nation’s aviation security network.
Collective Efforts by Flight Attendant Coalition
Today’s
announcement is good news for all Flight Attendants and it is the result of our
unified focus on achieving Flight Attendant inclusion in the program. We
are especially gratified to announce this success with our Flight Attendant
Union Coalition partners from the Transport Workers Union, the Association of
Professional Flight Attendants, the International Association of Machinists and
the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. All of us were committed to
this program and we all supported getting here today.
Thank you for all you do for each other and our profession. Fly safe.
In Solidarity,
Veda Shook, International President
Association of Flight Attendants
