Jumpseater heads-up
Effective Monday, July 10, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) adopted a new security rule that requires that pilots who want to enter the sterile area possess either a SIDA badge for that specific airport or a crewmember badge for an airline serving the airport. This means that ALPA jumpseaters must now obtain a boarding pass or gate pass before entering TSA security screening if they do not possess the airport-specific SIDA badge and/or their airline does not serve the particular airport.
The TSA's rationale behind the change is to reduce the liability that airlines and ticket checkers face when they must determine whether an airline ID is legitimate for an airline with which they are not personally familiar. This problem stems from long-standing, inadequate airline pilot identification, which the U.S. Transportation Worker Identity Card (TWIC) or another suitable biometric ID card program would address.
The National Security Committee and the National Jumpseat Committee chairman are working to resolve the TWIC issue with the TSA and will keep ALPA's members informed on this situation.