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Pilot reveals ‘surprising’ reason why flight attendants go through security checks with passengers

Posted on by Josh L
Pilot reveals ‘surprising’ reason why flight attendants go through security checks with passengers

The flight crew is walking in the airport terminal near the airline office.
You may have noticed the crew members walking around the airport together (Photo: Getty Images)

We would all like to skip the queue at airport securitybut according to one pilot, even crew members don’t always get that privilege.

In a TikTok video, American Airlines pilot Capt. Steve revealed the “nasty reason” you might see crew members in the security line.

One of his 237,000 followers asked Steve if pilots and crew should go through security like the rest of us, to which he replied, “Yes and no.”

“Here, inside the country USA“There’s this thing called a Famous Team Member,” he explained.

“It’s a portal I can go through where they look at my ID and I have a scan and a code and they check me on a computer.”

It’s not the case at all airports around the world, but in the US, workers technically don’t have to go through security thanks to the Known Crewmember System (KCM), which allows airline workers to bypass typical security checkpoints like physical screening.

According to Captain Steve, KCM’s separate lane is to “give confidence to pilots and crew” while “speeding up the process for passengers”.

But the pilot says that doesn’t always work out, adding: “About a third of the time I get flagged or randomized and have to go through security with everyone else.”

To ensure integrity, the KCM system uses an automatic randomizer to select crew members for additional screening (in the normal security line).

The process serves as a built-in check and balance mechanism to maintain safety standards, but Steve says it can delay events for passengers.

“How many times have you stood in line, belting yourself out, and a team of ten people hit the road in front of you and start showing off their stuff?” he said.

“It’s very frustrating and it slows down the whole process unnecessarily.”

The KCM program for aircrews was introduced in the US in September 2011 as a joint initiative of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Air America and the Airline Pilots Association International.

(Image: @captainsteeeve)
In the US, crew can avoid the passenger security line by using a famous crew member strip (Image: @captainsteeeve)

At KCM, uniformed participants must present two forms of identification to the TSA officer – a valid official photo ID and a valid unexpired Air Operator’s License or National Air Transport Association ID.

Those not in uniform require three forms of identification: the above along with an additional unexpired government photo ID or valid FAA pilot certificate. And flight attendants must also have a certificate of a confirmed level of proficiency.

However, there are criticisms of the system for abuse of reduced security. Last year, four flight attendants were arrested and charged with smuggling $8m (£6.4m) of drug money from the KCM strip at JFK airport in New York.

Although the US has a Known Crew Member Program, not every airport or country offers the same process. For example, in the UK, everyone – including pilots, flight attendants, airport staff and even security staff – must pass a security check.

However, in many countries (including the UK) crew and staff often have access to a separate line.

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