TSA agents think the crewmember lane at airports is a huge security flaw that staff abuse for smuggling

Cabin crew have a special security lane, but some TSA agents think it's a safety risk (stock image). xavierarnau/Getty Images

• TSA agents criticized the special crewmember lane as a safety risk due to smuggling incidents.
• Four flight attendants were charged with smuggling $8 million using the lane at JFK.
• Critics argue that flight crew should undergo thorough screening to prevent abuse of privileges.

Airport security officers have concerns over the special crewmember lanes that enable flight attendants and airline pilots to bypass typical passenger screening procedures.

The lanes were implemented in 2011 under the Known Crewmember Program (KCM) — a joint initiative by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Airlines for America (A4A), and the Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA).

However, former and current TSA agents told Business Insider they are "terrible," and that cabin crew can be "a bigger flight risk than the passengers themselves."

Criticism of KCM is mounting, particularly after four flight attendants were charged with smuggling millions of dollars in drug money out of the US using the lane at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Charlie Hernandez, 42; Sarah Valerio Pujols, 24; Emmanuel Torres, 34; and Jarol Fabio, 35, were arrested earlier this month. They managed to smuggle $8 million in "bulk cash" between 2014 and 2023, prosecutors said.

Delta Airlines confirmed to NBC News that two defendants worked for them.

Flight attendants can be paid off by drug dealers to smuggle illegal substances or cash and only tend to be found when they are subjected to random searches, the NY Post reported.

"It stands to reason that this [smuggling by flight attendants] is commonly done," attorney Dennis Ring, who represented a convicted flight attendant named Marsha Gay Reynolds, told the outlet.

There have been multiple instances of airline crew being caught after trying to "abuse these privileges," Ben Schlappig wrote in an article for the travel site One Mile At A Time.

"Of course, a vast majority of airline employees follow the rules, though with the volume of people using these checkpoints, there are going to be some bad apples," Schlappig said.

'KCM should be eliminated'

TSA agents, who wanted to remain anonymous due to strict internal rules about speaking to the media, told BI these stories of cabin crew wrongdoing "completely breach the trust that we put in them."

One agent said KCM was "terrible," and some of the crew they had interacted with had "worse attitudes" than passengers that go through regular screening. Another described crewmembers as "cocky."

When passengers accidentally bring something they shouldn't through security, more often than not, it's a mistake, another agent said.

"Crew, on the other hand, know exactly what they are doing," they said.

"I truly do think KCM should be eliminated," said one agent.

"Time and time again, we have seen that the crew members get so much 'trust' just because they're crew and they're the ones doing the illegal shit."

Most agents said they believed crew should have their own lines and be screened separately but that security measures right now were far too lenient.

An Airlines for America spokesperson told BI that "the safety and security of our passengers and crews is the top priority of US airlines."

KCM "is a TSA-approved program that has been in successful operation for 12 years," they said.

TSA and ALPA did not return BI's request for comment.

Bad apples and loopholes

Caleb Harmon-Marshall, a former TSA agent of eight years and the founder of the newsletter Gate Access, told BI that KCM has been controversial since it was implemented in 2011.

"If you're seeing all of these incidents, why has nothing been done to correct it?" he said.

Harmon-Marshall said there's a "low-key love-hate relationship" between cabin crew and TSA officers, with the latter being critical of KCM and flight attendants enjoying the privilege.

For example, there is no limit on how much liquid they can bring in their hand luggage.

However, Harmon-Marshall believes airlines should do a better job of educating their crew about the potential dangers of the program, particularly when flight crew are walking around in their uniform.

'"When you have a layover internationally, sometimes it's dangerous for you to broadcast that your flight attendant because people will come up to you and they'll try to offer you something," he said.

Being offered tens or maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars to smuggle something could be tempting, Harmon-Marshall said, especially if they are struggling financially.

"And sometimes it's dangerous situations where they'll threaten your family," he added. "It's very scary."

Harmon-Marshall posted a TikTok asking cabin crew and other TSA agents about what they thought about KCM, and many people who responded agreed the system has to change.

"I get randomly selected seven out of 10 times," one crew member commented. "I would prefer to just have a crew lane to have my bags scanned. It would make my already unpaid time easier to plan for."

Harmon-Marshall said KCM is a great tool, and he still believes flight crew should be given a certain amount of trust because they've earned it.

But, he said, the loopholes make him "uneasy," and it is time for the agencies behind KCM to "rethink things."

"I think that passengers should be very aware of the loose ends that some of these programs have," he said. "And KCM has some, and unfortunately, one bad apple ruins the bunch."

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