Major Airports Mull Ditching TSA

A pat-down is a pat-down, whether it's from a private security company employee or a TSA employee. But a steady stream of airports are opting to go private anyway. So far only smaller airports have made the switch, but the body that governs D.C.’s Dulles International is among the larger hubs mulling the idea, according to a spokeswoman. Champions of private firms, like U.S. Representative John L. Mica of Florida, say they pay their employees better, and are known to be more personable with their security procedures—though they don’t differ from federally mandated TSA practices. The head of a passenger-rights group was ambivalent, saying that "as long as the scanners and pat-downs are in place, the experience is going to be the same."