While exact details of the transition remain to be seen, it would appear that airline pilots and flight attendants may soon have different security screening protocols at airports in the United States.
In this post:
TSA introducing Crewmember Access Point (CMAP)
NATA Compliance Services has revealed that as of late November 2025, the Known Crewmember Program (KCM) will be replaced by a new program branded as Crewmember Access Point (CMAP). This will no longer be a joint initiative with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and Airlines for America (A4A), but rather will entirely be under the control of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
For context, with the Known Crewmember Program, eligible pilots and flight attendants don’t have to clear security when passing through airports. Instead, there’s a special lane they can go through, where they have to scan their badge, and then they can pass right through the checkpoint, without being screened.
The exception is that employees will sometimes be randomly selected to be screened, and the number of random screenings has reportedly increased significantly in recent years. The reason for this transition is the huge increase in the number of airline employees who are smuggling things through security. We’re not just talking weapons, but also drugs and large amounts of cash.
While details haven’t been officially announced, it’s my understanding that with the new program, flight crews will have to more consistently be screened. It sounds like the idea is that airline employees may just have a separate security screening lane they can quickly go through.
That might end up being more efficient anyway. With the current system of airline crew members with KCM access getting secondary screenings, it’s not always a smooth process. So this could streamline things a bit.
My take on TSA Known Crewmember Program changes
A couple of years ago, I posed the question of whether the Known Crewmember Program should be reconsidered. We’ve seen an increasing number of people smuggling drugs and other prohibited items through these checkpoints.
After all, there’s big money in smuggling drugs, and perhaps some newly minted flight attendants don’t feel like they have that much to lose career-wise. If they can make their annual salary as a flight attendant with a couple of “runs,” then they might figure it’s worth the risk.
What’s my take on these alleged changes?
- On the one hand, I do think it’s time that some changes are made to the Known Crewmember Program, purely based on the number of people who have abused it
- On the other hand, fully screening pilots and flight attendants will take up more TSA resources and could lead to longer lines at security; furthermore, the TSA isn’t actually very good at finding hidden objects
- Ultimately I also get the argument that the TSA isn’t there to stop drugs, but rather to stop weapons; that being said, if someone is smuggling kilos of cocaine and fentanyl, getting that off the streets (or out of the skies) doesn’t seem like a bad thing
Anyway, I’m curious to see what the new procedure looks like. Will the Crewmember Access Point require all pilots and flight attendants to be screened, or…?
Bottom line
For years, pilots and flight attendants haven’t had to regularly go through security, thanks to the Known Crewmember Program. With an increase in airline employees using these checkpoints to smuggle stuff onto planes, it seems that it’s going to be changing.
As of late November 2025, the TSA will be replacing the Known Crewmember Program with Crewmember Access Point. While the exact details of what this will look like remain to be seen, it’s believed that airline employees may have to more regularly go through security screening.
What do you make of the TSA replacing the Known Crewmember Program with Crewmember Access Point?
KCM is fine. It’s the TSA that can’t figure stuff out. 1st violation, 3 months no KCM. 2nd violation 6 months no KCM. 3rd violation no KCM for the rest of your career. If you cannot handle the process of KCM then you should work with airplanes.
The narrative that Pilots and Flight Attendants smuggle drugs and money is a false narrative. It would be simple....If one is selected for random screening...just remove the contraband before going through the x-ray machines. No one watches us between being selected and going through the x-rays machines. There are other holes in the system that I won't reveal that are pretty obvious. If one wants to smuggle within the USA...not hard.
The TSA doesn’t screen in foreign countries. If a crew member has a large stash of drugs then they will be smuggling between two US cities or out of the country.
It is despicable and offensive that new hires flight attendants have been targeted by the author as being ok with smuggling illegal substance just because they don't make good money. It is an insult and unacceptable. Meanwhile, the repeated offenders in these scenarios have been pilots bringing guns through screening. The article is extremely biased . As usual because of some people doing the offense, everyone else has to suffer.
I was a pre board screener beck in the early 80's. We were told that we are not there to look for drugs. We did see drugs but mostly only saw weed. If people were cool we let it slide, if there were assholes we would tell something like "the policeman at the podium might be interested in what is in your bag". That always made them to change their attitude.
The 4th amendment still applies to crew members. Even if TSA sees that they have a kilo of cocaine, they don't have jurisdiction to stop or detain. A crew member could simply walk away. If "drugs" are the actual reason this is being changed, surely someone will sue to stop it because it's unconstitutional.
Jerry
Hate to tell you this, when you fly commercial you waive your 4th amendment rights. You voluntarily go through security.
Quite frankly, I am surprised this program exists in the first place.
It is absolutely common for flight crews around the world to get screened properly, and does not impose an issue anywhere else on this planet.
Does anyone know if other countries have anything like KCM that allows crew to bypass security entirely?
Operating crew in Canada can bypass CATSA but there's still a random selection process at the bypass doors.
Yes. Most countries around the world have crew bypass points.
(Current international flight attendant)
Hard to understand why so many here think that smuggling drugs in or out of the country is so insignificant. Weed for personal use is one thing, but if you are carrying hard drugs with the intent ot profiting from them, I think that is a concern to me as a citizen.
They learned from the prohibition era.
They need to secretly let these substances flow into the country to keep order.
Intoxicated citizens are easier to distract and control.
Cutting off during the prohibition was so bad it led to the Great Depression.
It was alcohol that cured the depression. So significant they even have a constitutional amendment to allow it.
My understanding is that the TSA is supposed to be about flight safety. Thus, if the issue is flight crews smuggling drugs, it should not be their concern unless one believes the flight crew is using drugs during their flight.
I think that this change is a wasteful idea. If there was any belief that this could increase flight safety, I would feel otherwise.
You seem to misunderstand everything.
TSA was and still never have been screening for drugs. They are always there about your safety. How good job they do is a different topic.
However if they see something they say something to the actual law enforcement officers who happen to always be in the area.
If you see something sus you would report it right?
An abandon package under a bench, someone with AR-15 running and...
You seem to misunderstand everything.
TSA was and still never have been screening for drugs. They are always there about your safety. How good job they do is a different topic.
However if they see something they say something to the actual law enforcement officers who happen to always be in the area.
If you see something sus you would report it right?
An abandon package under a bench, someone with AR-15 running and yelling, or SUV speeding in a pedestrian area. Or that one kid in school who would snitch on everyone in class
Same thing.
TSA are just snitches. They never had authority to arrest anyone.
It seems easy enough to implement if they have a dedicated lane for it at each airport, if as was noted by the other commenter, it is done by having some crew shuffled into the TSA Pre line, it will be a pain and annoy the crap out of regular TSA Pre customers. Just have one line for crew like they essentially do now, have them go through facial recognition and screen their bags. It...
It seems easy enough to implement if they have a dedicated lane for it at each airport, if as was noted by the other commenter, it is done by having some crew shuffled into the TSA Pre line, it will be a pain and annoy the crap out of regular TSA Pre customers. Just have one line for crew like they essentially do now, have them go through facial recognition and screen their bags. It won't slow down their entry much and won't take away from TSA clearing regular passengers- they will have to staff a wholly new line. If TSA is taking control of the process they need to figure out how to staff it appropriately.
First and foremost if the TSA is going to exist doesn't need to be an arm of the DEA. It's the DEA's job to collect evidence that airline employees are drug runners. A flight attendant with a kilo of coke in their bag doesn't threaten the safety of the plane.
Second, if crew are going to be screened they should be screened in a separate line, at least at large airports where lines, including Precheck...
First and foremost if the TSA is going to exist doesn't need to be an arm of the DEA. It's the DEA's job to collect evidence that airline employees are drug runners. A flight attendant with a kilo of coke in their bag doesn't threaten the safety of the plane.
Second, if crew are going to be screened they should be screened in a separate line, at least at large airports where lines, including Precheck are already out of control. Presumably that would also include commuters.
For those of us crew who actually follow the rules, KCM has been nothing but a disaster since 2019. Good riddance.
I totally agree with you. It has been a disaster. Maybe we can get TSA screening pay in our next contract! :)
Thank your coworkers. You've demonstrated that you shouldn't be trusted.....now you won't be.
All drugs need to be legal. It’s very silly for an inert substance (unless you are personally using it) to be the source of so many criminal prosecutions. If a crewmember (or anyone) brings drugs on a plane, that has zero impact on me or anybody else.
I'm okay with that as long as I get to carry a firearm everywhere and anywhere that I want to fend off the drug addled zombies looking to pay for their next fix.
Sure...the heroin, crack, and meth will be legal but they certainly won't be free.
Until they use them and start tweaking out on the plane and cause an incident.
Some are legal.
Several deadly and highly addictive substances are legal for centuries causing significant suffering and deaths.
These substances are part of tool distract it's citizens from focusing on the government and easier to maintain order.
Notorious ones are Sugar Caffeine Alcohol Tobacco (Firearms are hard to access in most country except a few).
There is even a 3 letter mastermind agency that has full authority over 3 of these substances...
Some are legal.
Several deadly and highly addictive substances are legal for centuries causing significant suffering and deaths.
These substances are part of tool distract it's citizens from focusing on the government and easier to maintain order.
Notorious ones are Sugar Caffeine Alcohol Tobacco (Firearms are hard to access in most country except a few).
There is even a 3 letter mastermind agency that has full authority over 3 of these substances to secretly balance the powers.
Hard no. Alcohol gets its pass because it functions as a social lubricant, and most people don't become dependent on it. The biggest issue caused by alcohol in the US is drunk driving, but that's not an alcohol issue, it's an indictment of the American way of forcing car use for anyone to go anywhere. Marijuana is arguable, but does actually have use for both treating pain symptoms and calming people down. Tobacco is legitimately...
Hard no. Alcohol gets its pass because it functions as a social lubricant, and most people don't become dependent on it. The biggest issue caused by alcohol in the US is drunk driving, but that's not an alcohol issue, it's an indictment of the American way of forcing car use for anyone to go anywhere. Marijuana is arguable, but does actually have use for both treating pain symptoms and calming people down. Tobacco is legitimately far more dangerous to the user and the people around them, but fortunately due to a mix of education and restrictions on advertising tobacco use has been dropping heavily, at least until e-cigs/vapes came onto the scene to get people addicted to nicotine without having to use tobacco. Those get around the advertising restrictions on tobacco and are marketed as "safe" alternatives, despite still being highly addictive and still putting crud in the user's lungs.
Cocaine, meth, heroine, and other hard drugs of that nature however have 0 redeeming qualities. They rapidly make the user dependent on them and utterly destroy the user mentally and physically. When those people get addicted and eventually end up on the street, now the general public has to deal with them daily and it's on the taxpayer to support their recovery.
It was officially communicated to my FA wife. So I'd say it's official.
In reality, much may not change. It'll be based on facial recognition run by the TSA. And while some will bypass security, others will be sent to the precheck line. The badges weren't considered secure and tests proved it, hence the change to facial recognition.
FAs are not trustworthy. Screen them. FAs can, if fired, work at Burger King. Pilots are different. They have their careers at stake. All that long training can be trashed.
Pilots can work at burger king too.
Right! Pilots can work at burger King as well as anyone else.
That long training may not longer be necessary. As plans to reduce the 1500 hours are in the work. Many, many pilots which way less hours flight into the United States under foreign carriers. They are not required to have that insane and unnecessary amount of hours . It only creates an artificial scarcity of pilots , with unsustainable salaries .
On the other hand , be more concerned about pilots being fought with...
That long training may not longer be necessary. As plans to reduce the 1500 hours are in the work. Many, many pilots which way less hours flight into the United States under foreign carriers. They are not required to have that insane and unnecessary amount of hours . It only creates an artificial scarcity of pilots , with unsustainable salaries .
On the other hand , be more concerned about pilots being fought with alcohol smell , instead of the less than 1% of FAs being cought with X substance is brought TSA.
Pilots have been caught trying access KCM with firearms and drugs in their bags as well. So its not just flight attendants
Still no article about the special TSA lines “Non US Citizens Without Passports Only Enter Here” that have been going on the last three years to traffic illegals around the country. I suppose they’ll be taken down in the coming days anyways, so maybe a non-story at this point.
You sound insane.
Why? If Lucky thinks TSA lines are worth discussing, why not have an article about the ones for non-citizens without passports that popped up around the country allowing people without IDs to fly?
If you want an article about it, create a blog and put one together. You're a moron.
That's not a thing.
I’ve seen it many times. Here’s an example: https://x.com/billmelugin_/status/1738634471770075184
I’d be happy to email Lucky my own photos taken over the last couple years.
What is x.com?
Google it dude. It’s real.
I googled it, dude: "This sign might be used for individuals seeking asylum, applying for a visa, or entering under a specific program that allows entry without a passport in certain circumstances." It's nothing to do with "trafficking illegals around the country".
I would LOVE to see any proof of this? Brainwashing and insanity at its finest. A person this gullible should not have a right to vote.
@PM I've seen the signs with my own eyes. You haven't because the media, ranging from mainstream all the way down to Lucky refuse to cover stories that go against their narrative. Even Jeffy above confirms it exists. And yes, I do vote.
LOL this moron's proof being a twitter post is the most on brand level of craziness.
"Jeff above" here. Nice selective reading of my post. Yes, the sign exists, but you left out the part explaining it as yet another banal sign without any "rabid anti-immigrant conspiracy theory" backstory. To repeat: "This sign might be used for individuals seeking asylum, applying for a visa, or entering under a specific program that allows entry without a passport in certain circumstances." See? No complicated conspiracy theory necessary.
Agreed----
Until FAA changes rules to allow pilots access to mental health medication, the vast majority will continue to self medicate with massive amounts of alcohol. So, be more worried about your pilots being hungover. Most airlines are between 8 hours to 12 hours from the last drink to scheduled take off the next day, with no rules on the amount of alcohol consumed prior to reporting for work.
Ah, libs getting mad whenever someone brings the truth.