TSA Eliminates Chairs for Airport Document Checkers

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has begun removing chairs from the travel-document-checker stations at airport security checkpoints. The policy applies to employees who verify boarding passes and identification, requiring them to remain standing while performing their duties. Implementation has started at most commercial airports, with workers learning of the shift during a Friday afternoon shift change.

CNN

The chair removal follows the confirmation of TSA Administrator David Cummins, who has launched a strategic plan called Horizon 25 as the agency approaches its 25th anniversary. Horizon 25 aims to expand TSA PreCheck, introduce new screening technologies, consider privatizing certain checkpoints, and improve the overall passenger experience. Agency officials have emphasized that security, efficiency, and passenger service can be balanced, though they have not explicitly linked the standing-only requirement to any specific element of the Horizon 25 agenda.

CNN

In a statement announcing Horizon 25, Cummins asserted that the TSA does not have to choose between a secure checkpoint, an efficient checkpoint, and an elevated passenger experience. The administration has not provided detailed justification for the chair removal, nor has it issued a formal notification to the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Council 100 or its local chapters before the policy took effect.

CNN

The AFGE Council 100, representing TSA officers, described chairs as essential ergonomic and safety support for staff who stand and walk on hard surfaces all day. The union characterized the removal as a matter of basic safety and common decency, arguing that the agency is treating it as a privilege rather than a workplace right. Union leaders noted the lack of prior consultation and expressed concern that the change could increase fatigue and injury risk for document-checking personnel.

CNN