Sioux Falls Airport Shines Amid National Travel Delays

We've all seen the reports recently of unprecedented wait times to get through security at several airports across America, as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) deals with ongoing staffing and funding issues.

These shortages have led to some airports advising travelers to arrive as much as four hours before their scheduled flight times.

But not all airports are seeing the impact.

At the Sioux Falls Regional Airport, there are no unusually massive lines or staffing shortages. That's because the airport is one of only 20 in the nation that participate in the Transportation Security Administration's Screening Partnership Program (SPP), created in 2004, that uses contract screeners rather than federally employed TSA agents.

READ MORE: Long ER Waits Plague The Nation, But Not In South Dakota

According to Business Insider, contract security officers follow the same training, procedures, and oversight as the roughly 50,000 agents employed by the TSA. And, unlike their TSA counterparts, contract screener pay isn't paused during the partial shutdown because it is pre-funded via federal contracts.

Here are the 20 U.S. airports with private security agents:

• Atlantic City International Airport (New Jersey)
• Charles M. Schulz—Sonoma County Airport (California)
• Dawson Community Airport (Montana)
• Great Falls International Airport (Montana)
• Glacier Park International Airport (Montana)
• Greater Rochester International Airport (New York)
• Havre City-County Airport (Montana)
• Kansas City International Airport (Missouri)
• L. M. Clayton Airport (Montana)
• Orlando Sanford International Airport (Florida)
• Portsmouth International Airport (New Hampshire)
• Punta Gorda Airport (Florida)
• Roswell International Air Center (New Mexico)
• San Francisco International Airport (California)
• Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (Florida)
• Sidney-Richland Municipal Airport (Montana)
• Sioux Falls Regional Airport (South Dakota)
• Tupelo Regional Airport (Mississippi)
• Wokal Field/Glasgow International Airport (Montana)
• Yellowstone Airport (Montana)

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