TSA Ending Known Crewmember Program (KCM) In Late 2025

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.

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?